The Whittier College Greenleaf Gallery in southern California opens its first exhibition of the academic year with a prints and drawings display from University of Nevada, Reno Assistant Professor of Printmaking Eunkang Koh.

“Cityscapes–Landscapes of Human Mannerisms” is a selection of works by Koh, who received her bachelor of fine arts from Hong-Ik University in Seoul, Korea and her master of fine arts from California State University. She has exhibited in a number of countries around the world, including Korea, Japan, China, Australia, Bulgaria, Britain and the United States.

“The human condition is the main source of inspiration in my art,” Koh said. “Humans believe they are at the top of the hierarchical ecological system, trained to behave in specific ways to fit into ’mainstream’ society. What many do not realize, or like to acknowledge, however, is that humans are also animals, with many of the same instincts as other mammals.”

Through exhibiting her work nationally and internationally, she has demonstrated her devotion to art and to the art-making process. Koh views the world as an illusion, and believes that what we actually see is a perception that is programmed through mainstream cultures. In her work, she depicts interactions between human/animal hybrid creatures.

“My interest in these ideas has led me to depict creatures that are part human, part animal,” Koh said. “The hybrid creatures in my work incorporate real features of the world that we live in without the pretense that human behavior is altogether different from animal behavior. In a metaphoric and symbolic way, I am creating these hybrids to present my personal view of human mannerisms.”

Koh’s exhibit opens at the Whittier College Greenleaf Gallery with an artist’s talk followed by an opening reception on Sept. 16 and will close on Oct. 16.

For more information about the exhibit or Koh’s work, visit the School of Arts or please contact CJ Walters, associate director of Nevada’s School of the Arts, at (775) 784-4895 or cjc@unr.edu.