American artist Jin Meyerson is holding a solo exhibition titled “Endless Frontier” from Aug. 28 to Oct. 6 at Hakgojae Gallery in Sogyeok-dong, central Seoul.

The artist takes images from the media, particularly magazines, television and the Internet, and then distorts them by stretching them out, reducing them, layering and recoloring them. His digital experimentation using a computer combined with the traditional hands-on technique of oil painting creates complex, multidimensional pieces.

The first piece that the artist completed in 2010, which served as a base for the “Endless Frontier” exhibition, is the expansive, 6-meter-long “Before the Invention of Death,” which depicts a distorted image of a city. 

From afar, the piece looks like a dark, muddled mass of chaos, but taking just a few steps forward the viewer is able to clearly make out the remnants of a city.

In a press conference at Hakgojae Gallery on Friday, Meyerson compared his work to the Doppler Effect, which is the observed change in frequency of a wave, such as sound or light, as the source moves.

“An object approaching from a distance sounds different from afar and up close. My paintings are a visual representation of the Doppler Effect.” 

One of the more recent pieces on display, “Broadacre,” shows a densely populated street and buildings in Hong Kong overlaid with gigantic tree branches, portraying an interesting combination of urban life and nature.

“The Age of Everyone” expresses people’s reaction to the emergence of industrial society, with images of hundreds of people shown trying to climb out of a crumbling building.

Meyerson’s pieces are not limited to a single concept, and each work has a different message to convey.

“I didn’t think in terms of a theme. I worked on pieces naturally and found consistency in my paintings. I experienced overcoming boundaries while working, which is what all of us experience when transitioning. That’s where I got the title ‘Endless Frontier.’”

“Endless Frontier” took four years to complete, with a total of 10 intricately painted pieces on display.

“Some paintings I finished in a matter of days, but some took so long because when I work on a piece, I find details I need to include to finish the pieces. In order to finish the painting I need to resolve the details,” Meyerson said.

Jin Meyerson was born in Incheon in 1972 and adopted by a couple in the U.S., where he went on to study fine arts. Based in Hong Kong, he holds exhibitions around the world, with Paris and Seoul among the artist’s most frequent destinations.

For more information on the exhibition, call (02) 720-1524.

By Cha Yo-rim (yorimcha@heraldcorp.com)