Redefining the Act of 'Seeing' - Ahn Taewon's First Solo Exhibition in Japan, 'deep sea fish'



DIESEL ART GALLERY will host "deep sea fish," the first solo exhibition in Japan by Seoul-based artist Ahn Taewon, from January 25 (Saturday) to April 16 (Wednesday), 2025. The exhibition will be curated by the gallery CON_ based in Bakurocho, Nihonbashi.

Ahn Taewon is based in Seoul, creating paintings and sculptures that resemble intermediations between reality and the virtual by distorting three-dimensional models in peculiar ways, inspired by memes in image formats.

His works reflect new visual languages developed through social media and the internet, as well as errors in image processing. These pieces, like his series featuring cats, possess the potential to become memes themselves and circulate widely. In recent years, he has been actively exhibiting his work, including “PPURI” (P21) in 2024, “Liminal Room” (Plan X Gallery) in 2023, and “Postmodern Children” (Busan Museum of Contemporary Art) in 2022.

The exhibition “deep sea fish” draws parallels between deep-sea fish, whose eyesight has degenerated as they adapted to extreme environments, and modern humans who spend their days staring at PC and smartphone screens. It highlights how the concept of “seeing” has fundamentally changed.

Unlike the rationality of one-point perspective, the completely flat, creatures peeking out from an incomprehensible system appear distorted to us. 

This distortion could be seen as either a functional error of the eye or a cognitive mistake, making us realize we are living in a new environment where the distinction between two-dimensional and three-dimensional, virtual and real, has blurred. If you wish to return to a nostalgic past, it is recommended to turn off your devices. The face that emerges from the pitch-black screen may reveal what reality truly is.

This exhibition will feature new works available for viewing and purchase, along with limited edition merchandise created specifically for the exhibition. There will also be collaborative T-shirts with DIESEL available for purchase.