A Conversation with the 2026 Caspar David Friedrich Prize Winner
The jury for the 2026 CDF Prize selected Hajin Jeong. With “Soft Hours,” the young artist is thus presenting her first institutional solo exhibition in Germany. Her diverse and vibrantly colored paintings are now on display in the four rooms of the Caspar David Friedrich Gallery through December 19.
An art talk on November 6 at 5:30 p.m. will reveal more about her creative process, motifs, and individual works. You’ll also have the opportunity to engage in a dialogue with the artist yourself. Admission to the event is free. We would greatly appreciate a voluntary donation to support our work.
About the exhibition:
“Soft Hours” brings together the artist’s paintings: emotionally charged scenes that are unconsciously gathered and preserved in memory. The works begin with fleeting landscapes and moments—views and places that leave a lasting emotional impact. Rather than recreating these scenes exactly as they once were, Jeong allows memories and emotions to transform them. Through the openness of her painting, the artist shares her own memories with viewers, inviting them to form an empathetic connection. The landscape changes with the inner state from which it is viewed. Traces of movement remain. Through color and the physicality of painting, fleeting impressions take on a new form.
Hajin Jeong’s works, which are at times provocative and stirring, are characterized by great versatility. In addition to painting, the artist works on leporellos and artist’s books, drawing on literary narratives in the process. Among other things, she shares with Caspar David Friedrich a practice of collecting memories and observations and assembling them in the studio.
Hajin Jeong, born in 1995 in Seoul, South Korea, studied painting at Hongik University in Seoul and at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts. She lives and works in Berlin.
