October 2, 2024
Art
Grace Ebert

“Splashing Volcano Ash Gaze– Mesmerizing Mesh #140” (2022), Hanji on alu-dibond, framed, 62 x 62 centimeters. All photos by Studio Haegue Yang, courtesy of the artist and The Arts Club of Chicago

Geometric, floral motifs characterize Yang’s alluring compositions made from cut and folded hanji, paper derived from mulberry bark.

Known for immersive sculptures and installations that engage the senses, Seoul-born artist Haegue Yang looks toward common materials and traditional craft techniques to explore pressing issues. She often transforms domestic objects like Venetian blinds, electrical fans, and even cans of Spam into dynamic, abstract works that comment on sociopolitical topics like migration, labor, and exile.

Although the artist has risen to international recognition for her three-dimensional pieces, an exhibition at The Arts Club of Chicago peers into another side of her practice. Flat Works surveys two decades of Yang’s paintings, prints, and collages, including her captivating series, Mesmerizing Mesh.

Blood Moon Finger-Pulling Bloom Formation–Mesmerizing Mesh #107” (2022), Hanji on alu-dibond

Geometric, floral motifs characterize the alluring compositions made from cut and folded hanji, paper derived from mulberry bark. Mesmerizing Meshreferences shamanistic traditions, particularly in Korea, Japan, China, and Slavic regions, and what comes from communing with the spirit world.

According to a statement about the series, the symmetric works allude to “sumun, a sheet hung from the ceiling in rituals…to keep away evil spirits,” while the more figurative, anthropomorphic pieces “resemble soul sheets (nukjeon), in which the shaman blows a spirit treated as the identical entity of the deceased being honored.”

Like her sculptures, these collages similarly recontextualize a humble, everyday material. Although they’re two-dimensional, the layered works convey depth, each appearing as a kind of portal guiding viewers into an entrancing, mystical realm […]

“Fluoroscopic-Powered Fire Bird-Mesmerizing Mesh #130” (2022), Hanji on alu-dibond, framed, 62 x 62 centimeters

More: Symmetric Paper Collages by Haegue Yang Commune with the Spiritual