"WINDFELT" - JiN JEONG: Brussels

 Windfelt features a series of thirteen new oil on linen paintings that refer to both the haptic and ephemeral sensations of this element of weather: the artist is fascinated with capturing the feeling of wind on the body as well as an imagined occurrence of such sensitivity. By choosing a term that bridges physical and emotional experience, Jeong emphasizes the intended impact of her work: an invitation to acknowledge the physicality of wind as a sensory and transformative moment. Jeong’s inspiration for the series stems from memories of diverse landscapes as well as sensory experiences, including the warm summer breezes in her native Korea. 

 The artist describes the new series as “merging serenity and vibrancy within abstract landscapes that convey gravity, openness, and breathability.” Her brightly hued, almost hallucinogenic paintings, carry on from earlier bodies of work where the artist painted psychological landscapes that hovered between representation and abstraction. A viewer grapples between the recognition of shapes and forms within the painting, recognizing a hill, a path, a slice of sky or body of water, but is never able to perceive a particular location or time in the painting. Indeed, these surreal landscapes do not refer to specific places but rather to an emotional state. 

 Anchoring the exhibition’s theme, pieces like Woven Air, Buoyant Winds, and Where the Wind Roars distill the subtle, lingering touch of wind, and draw from the rhythm and cycles of natural elements. Jeong’s choice of titles reinforces the feeling of air and its movement, visually resonating with the concept of wind as both felt and remembered. Buoyant Winds hints at a seascape in the bluish tones of its foreground. Where the Wind Roars is a visual cacophony of intense pinks and reds that suggest a stormy, unsettled view. Woven Air is the only landscape-oriented canvas in the exhibition, with a luscious palette that transitions from searing reds to deep blues, greens, and yellows interspersed with areas of raw canvas. 

 The artist mixes her own colors to achieve the desired translucency and depth, which often requires layering multiple hues so that they appear as one cohesive, vibrant pigment. Jeong uses the paintbrush to create these layers of colors and contrasting brushstrokes that become a harmonic transparency without being densely opaque. For example, Dutch Drift is a surreal composition of shifting forms of saturated blues and luminous yellows that evoke the feeling of a 17th century shipwreck painting. As the artist says, “the color choices are not about literal representation but rather about the interplay between colors, creating an emotional or sensory resonance rather than strict realism.”

In choosing to capture the effects of wind, Jeong continues a tradition of artists exploring this subject. From painting the Greek god Boreas on ancient vases to the sculpted Winged Victory of Samothrace, artists across time have depicted wind has through flowing drapery or soaring objects. Jeff Wall’s A Sudden Gust of Wind (After Hokusai), 1993 is a contemporary homage to the Edo period master artist’s woodblock print from the mid 19th century. Where Wall and Hokusai show papers flying through the sky, Jeong creates the aleatory effect through painterly gesture and vibrant palette. In the small canvas Echoes Behind the Eyes elliptical swirls of paint jostle for space on the picture plane, leaving little suggestion of landscape or physical elements. And yet the dynamism of the strokes and combinations of color create a similar effect to her predecessors. The artist painted Miracle in October with gentle fields of color that flow Northeast in the composition, suggesting a softer wind and stunning sky. In this painting, Jeong leaves a parallel band of raw canvas that becomes its own soft hue. This hint of raw linen might be interpreted as the skin upon which the wind can be felt. 

-- Dr. Kathy Battista