FOG ART+DESIGN

January 21 – 25, 2026

FORT MASON CENTER

BOOTH 303

YOUNG-IL AHN

SOLO PRESENTATION

Perrotin is pleased to return to FOG Design+Art with a solo presentation of works by Korean-American artist Young-Il Ahn (1934–2020). Featuring the artist’s celebrated Water paintings as well as other works representing the breadth of Ahn’s practice, the FOG presentation anticipates the artist’s survey exhibition at Perrotin New York in September 2026.

Ahn was born in Gaeseong, a city now geographically located in North Korea, attending Seoul National University before moving to Los Angeles in 1966. During the five-plus decades the artist lived in LA, the landscape, light, and atmosphere of California played a prominent role in his artwork. A highlight of the FOG presentation is an early Water painting from the 1980s that exemplifies the artist’s fascination with water’s refractory qualities. Following a transformative experience of being temporarily lost at sea in a dense fog, the act of painting water became an ongoing project: “To contain variations of so many kinds of roiling water under the sunlight on a canvas, I painted and painted and could not stop.”

In addition to the Water paintings, Perrotin is also showcasing selections from Ahn’s California and Self-Reflection series. Concurrent with FOG, Ahn’s work is included in the group exhibitions Slow Wave Sleep at Perrotin New York, and Where the Sea Ends at Perrotin London.