Desire for Clarification

JJ Murphy Gallery is excited to present Desire for Clarification, a solo exhibition of recent paintings by the Korean-born, Brooklyn-based artist Hwi Hahm. Hwi Hahm’s recent paintings straddle the line between abstraction and representation. He often works on several different series with slightly altered imagery, notably “A Boy with Doubts” or “Disappearing Moments.” Hahm usually starts with a rough idea, but he doesn’t use preparatory sketches. The paintings are an attempt to understand his thoughts. As he explains, “It is not my goal to build a style or language, but to engage in this fearful, anxious, nerve-racking moment of encounter with the unknown.” “Cold Day” (2025) attempts to capture the feeling of a winter day. Yet what is represented is only partially coherent. Smoke rises from a structure that appears across a river. A large red mass occupies the foreground. Is the Guston-like shape meant to be a bundled-up head? Are those eyeglasses? It’s difficult to know exactly, but that’s the point. Hahm relishes ambiguity. He wants his paintings to remain puzzles in order to suspend or delay their comprehension. As he puts it, “Figuration is withheld, replaced by geometric forms, abstracted structures, and landscapes that suggest human presence without defining it.” Several paintings in the exhibition do suggest landscapes, such as “Blue Ass” (2025), “February Evening” (2026), “Cock and Knife” (2026), and “Moon Gazers” (2026). It’s the orange moon in the last painting that shifts it from lines and abstract shapes into a more representational reading. Certain titles, such as “Lobster and Conch” (2026), offer clues. Although Hahm presents the objects abstractly, we can see a resemblance. Others, such as “De Keyser on a Plate" (2026), might initially confuse the viewer. The title is not a misspelling, however, but, in fact, references the Belgian artist Raoul De Keyser, whose shapes allude to real-life referents but remain fundamentally abstract. Hahm admits, “I pull shapes and forms straight out of other painters' paintings.” He claims he does it not only to reference specific artists but also to reimagine their shapes in a new context that he has created for them. The painting suggests a table setting, but the partial red-brick wall transforms what initially appears to be a still life into a possible landscape. Hahm has developed a distinct style in his painting. Unlike De Keyser, who uses soft forms, Hahm employs raw, aggressive brushstrokes and bold colors that feel remarkably visceral. The red heart in “Disappearing Moments, No. 5" (2026) pulsates. Gaby Cepeda has written, “The world concocted by Hahm’s paintings is one of pleasurable jolts, puzzling dislocations, and representational bewilderment. A brewing, gripping mystery.” Hwi Hahm (b.1993, Busan, South Korea) has had a solo exhibition at Lubov Gallery, New York City, and recent two-person shows at PM/AM in London and F2T Gallery in Milan, Italy. He has participated in multiple group exhibitions in New York City, including Clearing, Chapter, and JO-HS Gallery, as well as Unosunove, Rome, Italy. He has had residencies such as Palazzo Monti in Brescia, Italy, and Pilotenkueche Residency in Leipzig, Germany. Hahm earned his BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2016 and his MFA from Hunter College in 2024. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.