Ran Hwang
Mystery Life_BW, 2021
Paper buttons, beads, pins, on plexiglass and acrylic frame
35.4H x 47.2W x 4.3D in
90H x 120W x 11D cm
After Ago_TWL, 2021
Buttons, beads, pins on DIASEC
31.4H x 31.4W x 1.9D in
80H x 80W x 5D cm
After Ago_PWL, 2021
Buttons, beads, pins on DIASEC
33.4H x 45.2W x 1.9D in
85H x 115W x 5D cm
Ode to Second Full Moon_WG, 2021
Paper buttons, beads, pins, on plexiglass
47.2H x 35.4W x 2.1D in
120H x 90W x 5.5D cm
Self Reflection_V, 2021
Paper buttons, beads, pins, on LED light
22.8H x 22.8W x 17.8D in
58H x 58W x 20D cm
Self Reflection_Y, 2021
Paper buttons, beads, pins, on LED light
20.7H x 20.7W x 5.1D in
52.8H x 52.8W x 13D cm
Nothing Forever B1, 2021
Paper buttons, crystals, beads, pins on plexiglass and LED light
19.6H x 19.6W x 3.9D in
50H x 50W x 10D cm
Nothing Forever_RG, 2021
Paper buttons, beads, pins, on acrylic dome
31.4H x 31.4W x 11.8D in
80H x 80W x 30D cm
Nothing Forever_PB , 2021
Paper buttons, beads, pins, on acrylic dome
31.4H x 31.4W x 11.8D in
80H x 80W x 30D cm
After Ego_RWL, 2021
Buttons, beads, pins on DIASEC
33.4H x 45.2W x 1.9D in
85H x 115W x 5D cm
Past Memories_R, 2021
Buttons, beads, pins on acrylic panel, Korean mother of pearl inlaid table
27.5H x 27.5W x 5.5D in
70H x 70W x 14D cm
Eternal Mise_21WG, 2021
Buttons, beads, pins on acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene on plexiglass
24.4H x 24.4W x 7D in
62H x 62W x D cm
Leila Heller is pleased to announce the solo exhibition of contemporary Korean artist Ran Hwang, titled “Hope Springs Eternal” and open May to July.
Due to the pandemic, everyone in the world is facing physical challenges and feeling mentally taxed. The health crisis has even prompted a significant increase in the rates of crime and suicide. “Hope Springs Eternal” consists of a series of work created during quarantine and fueled by the artists compulsion to seek inner peace and mental stability. In this exhibition, Hwang focuses on small cherry blossom works that are bright and joyful, following the religious practices of Buddhism and hoping to bring light to people’s hearts and heal their inner wounds.
Ran Hwang’s artistic practice is deeply rooted in the philosophy of Zen Buddhism. Pondering the themes of cyclicality and learnt appreciation for the time’s ephemerality accompanies the artist’s works. Hwang’s installations serve as monuments to a human's perpetual attempts to capture and prolong a fleeting moment. In this case, the cherry blossoms are subjects of Hwang’s series as they stand to represent nature's vulnerability to imperfect conditions and inevitability of life’s transient nature. In her Cherry Blossoms, the artist hopes to convey a meditative state to the audience, inviting the viewer to trace the delicate motions of the blossom’s falling petals succumbed to the imminent progression of time.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Ran Hwang has exhibited at several international institutions including the Hermitage Museum & Gardens, Virginia; Hermes Foundation, Singapore; Brooklyn Msuseum, New York; Queens Museum of Art, New York; The Hudson Valley Center for the Arts, New York; MASS MoCA, Massachusetts; Asian Civilization Museum, Singapore; Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels; and The Seoul Arts Center Museum. Hwang’s work is also a part of numerous private and public collections including The Dubai Opera, Dubai; The Brooklyn Museum, New York; The Des Moines Center for the Arts, Iowa; The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul; The Hammond Museum, North Salem, NY; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; UNESCO Paris Headquarters; and New York University.