What Dreams May Come Erica Mahinay, Saba Farhoudnia, and Yeonsu Ju
Taking the title of Richard Matheson’s namesake novel, the exhibition “What Dreams May Come” brings together the works of Erica Mahinay, Yeonsu Ju, and Saba Farhoudnia to explore transition, energy exchange, and the fluidity of existence. Matheson’s novel crafts a vision of the afterlife that is deeply subjective and shaped by the individual’s mental and emotional state. Similarly, this exhibition navigates the transformative power of memory, dreams, and the transcendental nature of one’s experiences. The artists ultimately seek to understand themselves within the ever changing world through the action of making and offering.
Similarly, Saba Farhoudnia's paintings explore the concept of fluidity through the lens of personal and collective memory. As an artist navigating multiple cultural identities, she creates works that reflect the complexities of diaspora and the fluid boundaries of cultural belonging. Farhoudnia visualizes unfamiliar landscapes in her artistic practice, highlighting equality and our vulnerability to natural forces. By merging drawing and painting, she utilizes the textures of brushstrokes, geometric forms, and gestural marks. Her compositions blend figuration, grotesque elements, and dark comedy—gradually transitioning into abstract, garden-like spaces influenced by Persian miniatures.
Erica Mahinay navigates the boundary between painting, performance and sculpture, crafting gestural works that engage with the human body while rooted in abstraction. Mahinay applies paint with brushes and hands-on canvas, creating both opaque and translucent areas. She employs dyeing techniques to saturate the fabric with color, drawing attention to the process of making. The works in the show capture the moments of change, inviting viewers to contemplate the fluidity of the self and the constant evolution of one’s physical and emotional states.
Yeonsu Ju, born in South Korea and now residing in London, draws influence from the spontaneous and forceful technique of Francis Bacon. She describes her paintings as "an imaginary space where you can meet lost loves." Often, her works depict social gatherings where characters are rendered with a few suggestive brushstrokes, creating dream-like and colorful scenes that serve as idealized versions of events from an unknown era. At the border of figuration and abstraction, Ju provides an intense experience with a startling economy of means. Her intermeshing blocks of color dissolve into each other, while human figures, characterized by thin black lines, evoke traditional Asian art forms.
In a world where boundaries are constantly being redrawn and redefined, this exhibition invites the viewers to contemplate adaptability and resilience.
Erica Mahinay(b. 1986, Santa Fe) received her BA from Kansas City Art Institute in 2008 and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2013. Mahinay selected solo exhibitions include, “Moving From and For”, T293, Rome, Italy, 2023; “Let the Breath Breathe Itself”, Lyles & King, New York, US, 2019; “Sun Seekers”, HGA Architecture / Euclid, Los Angeles, US; “Contingent”, T293, Rome, Italy. Recent selected group exhibitions include “Made in L.A. 2023: Acts of Living”, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, USA, 2023; “Surfaces”, Nino Mier Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, 2021; “End Denmo”, Epoch Gallery (Virtual Exhibition), 2020; “Touch Knows You Before Language”, Lyles & King, New York, USA, 2019; “The Shape of Content”, OCHI Projects, Los Angeles, USA, 2019.
Saba Fahoudnia (b. 1987, Iran) received her BFA in Painting from University of Science and Culture in Tehran, Iran, 2010; a MA in Art Research from University of Science and Culture in Tehran, Iran, 2012, and a MFA in The LeRoy E. Hoffberger School of Painting, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD, 2019. Fahoudnia's selected solo exhibitions include, “Falling Petals, Standing Roses”, Fou Gallery, New York, USA, 2024; “Reflection”, William P. Miller Jr. Gallery, New York, USA, 2022; Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Alva, USA, 2022. Selected group exhibitions include “Bronx Calling: The Sixth AIM Biennial”, Bronx Museum, New York, USA, 2024; “Leftovers”, Island Gallery, New York, USA, 2024; “Take a Break”, Fou Gallery, New York, USA; “Personal Mythologies”, Elza Kayal Gallery, New York, USA, 2023; “Migration and Identity”, Hewitt Gallery of Art, New York, USA, 2023; “ABSTRACT Expression 2022” Red Bluff Gallery, CA, USA, 2022; “The Sky is Higher Here”, Transmitter Gallery, New York, USA, 2022; “National Juried Exhibition”, First Street Gallery, New York, USA, 2021; “If You Can Make It”, Somad Gallery, New York, USA, 2021; “Collective Punishment”; Musa Collective Gallery; Boston, USA, 2019. Farhoudnia is also an alumna of the Artist In the Marketplace fellowship program at the Bronx Museum of the Arts (New York, 2020), an awardee of the Queens Arts Fund Grant (New York, 2022) and an Artist in Residence at the Fashion Institute Technology of Art (New York, 2023).
Yeonsu Ju (b. 1995, South Korea) received her BA in Sociology from Chung-Ang University in Seoul, South Korea, 2018; BA in Painting and Printing from Glasgow School of Art in Glasgow, UK, 2021, and a MFA in Painting from Slade School of Fine Art, London, UK, 2023. Ju’s selected solo exhibitions include “Yeonsu Ju”, HdM Gallery x Asia Society France, Paris, France, 2023; “Eating is Mutual”, Hew Hood Gallery, London, UK, 2022. Selected group exhibitions include Presentation with HdM Gallery, Brussels Expo, Brussels, Belgium, 2024; “Passages'', Luce Gallery, Turin, Italy; Presentation with HdM Gallery; ART 021, Shanghai, China, 2023; Presentation with HdM Gallery, Asia NOW, Paris, France, 2023; “Wild is the Wind”, Hew Hood Gallery; London, UK, 2023; “Mise-en-scène”, BWG Gallery, London, UK, 2023; Presentation with HdM Gallery, BAD+ Art fair, Bordeaux, France, 2023; Presentation with Dohing Art, Art Busan, Busan, South Korea, 2023; Presentation with HdM Gallery, Art Paris, Paris, France, 2023; “Slide a Glance”, ASC Gallery, London, UK, 2022, “Wilderness of being”, HdM Gallery, London, UK, 2022; “Cosmic Coincidences”, French Riviera Gallery, London, UK, 2022; “Human Perspectives”, Harvey Court, Cambridge, UK, 2021; “Love and Chaos”, The Alchemy Experiment, Glasgow, UK, 2021; “Rabbit skin”, The Glue Factory, Glasgow, UK, 2020. Ju is also the finalist of the 2024 K11 Artist Prize, the recipient of the 2023 Cass Art Prize, and the winner of 2022 Window Project Open Call, and winner of 2022 Delphian Open Call.