American painter Aaron Johnson opens third exhibition at Gana Art Hannam in Seoul

By Bereket Alemayehu

Visiting Aaron Johnson’s paintings at Gana Art Hannam gallery feels like exploring outer space and meeting celestial beings radiating vivid colors. It challenges you to ask: Are we alone? Johnson's solo exhibition, "New Light," showcases new paintings by the California-based American artist. In his latest body of work, Johnson explores new territory, focusing on two-figure compositions that intensify the dynamic interplay between abstraction and figuration. The exhibition, his third with the gallery in central Seoul's Hannam-dong, opened Feb. 28 and runs until March 30.

An introduction on the gallery’s website states Johnson is renowned for his fluid paint techniques within a color field methodology. He approaches paint as a force of nature, allowing it to flow, collide and merge organically. This process reinforces his work's metaphysical and mystical undertones, reflecting his deep engagement with nature-based spirituality and the interconnectedness of all things. Viewers are drawn into a world of nature spirits, ethereal beings and magical entities, conjured through vibrant color fields and abstract forms. A sense of mystery permeates the paintings, with luminous hues and pulsating layers of paint creating an almost otherworldly atmosphere. His signature technique of pouring circular forms generates enigmatic, glowing orbs — evoking planets, chakras and celestial bodies.

With this series, Johnson delves into the profound connection between two figures, prompting existential and spiritual inquiries: What does it mean to share a life with someone? What does it mean to merge souls? The body of work also marks a significant personal shift for the artist. After 25 years in New York City, Johnson relocated to Los Angeles, where he discovered a renewed relationship with light, space and the natural world. His new studio — nestled in a lush garden surrounded by palms and cacti — has deepened his connection to his surroundings, a transformation that is reflected palpably in these paintings.

Moreover, many of the works in this exhibition were created during a pivotal time in his life, while awaiting the birth of his first child and in his first months of fatherhood. The wonder of new life is woven into the fabric of these paintings, enriching them with a profound sense of transformation and renewal.

At the opening event, Johnson discussed his creative endeavors and aspirations in a conversation with The Korea Times. “I think about the cosmic origins of life on Earth, and like the astrophysicist Carl Sagan says, all the particles in our bodies are from exploded stars in the past, from eons ago," he said. "All the particles of everything on this Earth are stardust, and I think that's such a magical thing to think about. And how that's like an infinite span of time almost, and it makes our lives feel so small and so short, and I think so special to think that the universe is so huge and time is so vast and we're here on this Earth and it's such a precious place. A lot of it is thinking about our Earth crisis and the climate crisis and thinking about civilizations before us (that) believed in these nature spirits, and I think they had more reverence for nature because they would believe that there are spirits in the trees and there are spirits in the mountains and there are spirits in the stars. I feel like we've lost that kind of reverence in a way.”

His ultimate motive is to bring something back beyond our ordinary senses that comes from the process itself. Watching how the paint flows triggers his imagination to shape the figures.

“I started painting in a process like this maybe eight years ago. Before that, my work was quite different. But once I started this process, where the paint can be so fluid and sort of vaporous and luminescent in this process, it was only natural that the figures started to look kind of ghostly," he said. "It wasn't my intention to say I'm going to start painting ghostly figures, but it was more like the process was intriguing to me, and then the imagery I would paint through that process began to look kind of ghostly. It made me think about this kind of ethereal realm of spirit beings.

"For me, it's like a spiritual practice making this work, and it's a meditation, and it's tapping into something that I think is significant, and it's real, but it's mysterious, and I don't know exactly what it is. So it's imagination, but I feel like it's tapping into something, some kind of mysterious thing that I don't understand, but I'm trying to figure it out.”

Another aspect informing his work is that he is a self-taught artist, after majoring in biology in college. "There's always been kind of like a science mind that I have," he said. "Experimenting and trying to find my ways of working, and also a process of inquiry like we have in science. Trying to figure things out is what makes us human beings who we are.”

Although this is his third solo exhibition in Seoul, it is his first time in the country because previous circumstances prevented him from visiting. This time, he plans to visit museums and go sightseeing, having already visited a Buddhist temple.

In 2024 he had his first solo museum exhibition at La Termica in Malaga, Spain. His work is in permanent collections including The Museum of Modern Art in New York; The Weisman Foundation in Los Angeles; and Coleccion Solo in Madrid. His work has been included in exhibitions at The Museum of Modern Art, Mass MoCA and Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art.

Established in Seoul in 1983, Gana Art is one of the city's first major art galleries and is widely regarded as a prestigious and influential art institution. With two galleries in Seoul and one in California, Gana Art has hosted numerous exhibitions both domestically and internationally. It actively participates in global art events, continuously striving to promote and develop Korean art culture.

Gana Art Hannam is open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visit aaronjohnsonart.com and ganaart.com for more information.

Bereket Alemayehu is an Ethiopian photo artist, social activist and writer based in Seoul. He's also a freelance contributor for Pressenza Press Agency and the co-founder of Hanokers, a refugee-led social initiative.