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Ran Hwang: Hope Springs Eternal

May 12 – September 2, 2021

Mystery Life_BW, 2021, Paper buttons, beads, pins, on plexiglass and acrylic frame

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PRESS RELEASE

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.