Mother

15 layer hand-pulled serigraph
Coventry rag 290gsm
Straight cut edges
Edition of 40
Signed & numbered by the artist 

From the Studio:

We are delighted to afford Koh the opportunity to produce her first limited edition screen print. 15 layers of color recreate the subtle value shifts from black to blue in a delicate reinterpretation of the artist's painterly style. Inks are mixed and tested by master printer Tony Clough after each color addition in an approach that is both systematic and organic; dependent upon the changes that the previous layer ushers forth.

From the Artist:

“Mother” is a print of a painting with the same title, that I made for my last show at Anton Kern Gallery in 2024, “Hope Spring Eternal”.  After being diagnosed with breast cancer in March of 2023, working on my show was my way of processing and reflecting on my experience.  While the subject matter was dark, it was ultimately a story of optimism and renewal, hence the title.

During this time, my mother, whom I am estranged from and currently lives in Korea, contacted me about my diagnosis after my brother told her the news.  The exchange brought up a lot of complicated feelings towards my mother.  I thought about the difficulty of motherhood, and how my own mother never seemed to enjoy mothering her children.  She ultimately decided to abandon us.

While I love being a mother and could never leave my own kids, motherhood has moments that are dark, lonely, and alienating, which most mothers do not want to talk about.  It is taboo for a mom to ever admit there is a moment of less than perfect mothering, of not putting her children at the forefront of her mind.  I made this painting to reflect on my own mother and her choices, as well as these moments that are relatable to all moms.

When I gave birth to my twins in 2015, it was a chaotic and dark time that was compounded by sleep deprivation.  I was thrust into a new role of being a mother to newborn twins, and I felt I was floundering.  As a new mother, you get thrown into the deep end and either sink or swim.  I felt I was barely keeping afloat, but day by day, I learned to mother a little bit better, and it became an integrated part of my life, a new core part of my identity.

“Mother” is also a reflection on my body - my breast, which was once a source of nourishment for my children, had turned against me and was trying to kill the rest of me.  In recent years, these were two of the most impactful events of my life, both forever changing me as a person.  I have no regrets.  Out of darkness, comes the brightest light.

Artist Bio:

Hein Koh (b. 1976) is an artist based in Brooklyn, NY. She received a dual BA in Studio Art and Psychology from Dartmouth College and an MFA in Painting from Yale University. 

Koh has exhibited her work extensively and internationally. In 2019, she had her first major public installation at Rockefeller Center, with the Art Production Fund, which was reviewed in ArtNews and New York Magazine. In 2021, she had her first institutional solo show at the Savannah College of Art and Design Museum, which was also a public art installation. Koh has also taught or lectured at Dartmouth College, Columbia University, Tyler School of Art, Cranbrook Academy of Art, California College of the Arts, New York University, and the School of Visual Arts, among other institutions. From 2021-2022, she was granted the position of “McMillan/Stewart Endowed Chair of Painting” at the Maryland Institute College of Art.

Hein Koh IG