Haegue Yang crafts captivating multimedia installations and sculptures that transcend conventional artistic boundaries. Her practice intricately weaves together disparate elements, drawing inspiration from folk traditions, the ubiquity of quotidian objects, and profound spiritual symbolism. Through series like Light Sculptures and Sonic Sculptures, Yang defies categorization, often juxtaposing mass-produced articles with industrially manufactured materials to create sensory-rich experiences. This unique approach fosters a dialogue between the familiar and the abstract, prompting a reconsideration of the objects that surround us.
Yang’s exhibition, Lost Lands and Sunken Fields, recently held at the Nasher Sculpture Center, further exemplifies her exploration of contrasting forces. The presentation established a dynamic interplay between light and shadow, groundedness and ethereality, density and sparseness, interiority and exteriority. This exhibition followed her significant survey at London’s Hayward Gallery, a retrospective that highlighted two decades of her collage-forward artistic journey. Working across Seoul and Berlin, Yang masterfully blends craftsmanship and vernacular techniques, resulting in pieces that encompass sculpture, installation, collage, text, video, wallpaper, and sound.
In works such as “Sonic Intermediates – Triad Walker Trinity”, steel frames adorned with bells, metal rings, and plastic twine take on vaguely zoomorphic forms, set in motion by casters. Yang’s abstracted visual language collapses temporal and geographical distinctions, merging modern and pre-modern aesthetics, art historical references, and literary allusions. Themes of displacement, migration, exile, and global diasporas resonate throughout her oeuvre. Her creations serve as links between diverse geopolitical contexts and histories, offering a commentary on contemporary existence and a proposition for a holistic perspective that embraces mobility, technology, spirituality, and the resilience of both humanity and nature.
“Sonic Intermediates – Triad Walker Trinity” (2020), powder-coated steel and handles, casters, nickel and brass-plated bells, metal rings, plastic twine, turbine vents, artificial plants, pine cones, and foam. Photo by Nick Ash. Image courtesy of kurimanzutto, Mexico City / New York.“Frosted Scales Mermaid Queen – Mesmerizing Mesh #218” (2023), Hanji, washi, and origami paper on alu-dibond, framed, 24 3/8 x 24 3/8 inches. Image courtesy of kurimanzutto, Mexico City / New York.“Airborne Paper Creatures – Flutterers” (2025), birch plywood, wood stain, stainless steel components, Hanji, washi, origami paper, marbled paper, honeycomb paper balls, beads, metal bells, plastic crown flowers, parandy, Punjabi earrings and ornaments, stainless steel chains, split rings, steel wire ropes, and swivels, 47 3/4 x 22 x 25 1/2 inches, 21 3/4 x 12 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches, and 36 1/2 x 23 1/2 x 23 1/2 inches (three parts). Photo by Studio Haegue Yang.Detail of “Airborne Paper Creatures – Flutterers”.
Installation view of ‘Haegue Yang: Leap Year’ (2024). Photo by Mark Blower.Installation view of ‘Haegue Yang: Leap Year’ (2024). Photo by Mark Blower.“Aztec Underwater Wanderer – Mesmerizing Mesh #214” (2023), Hanji and washi on alu-dibond, framed, 24 3/8 x 24 3/8 inches.“Radial Tousled Epiphyte” (2025), birch plywood, wood stain, acrylic board, powder-coated stainless steel wall mount, stainless steel components, Hanji, and marbled paper, 54 3/4 x 54 3/4 x 8 1/4 inches. Photo by Studio Haegue Yang.
Detail of “Radial Tousled Epiphyte”.“Sonic Clotheshorse–Dressage #3” (2019), powder-coated aluminum frame, mesh and handles, casters, brass-and nickel- plated bells, split rings, 60 1/4 x 22 x 30 3/4 inches, and “Sonic Clotheshorse–Dressage #4” (2019), powder-coated aluminum frame, mesh and handles, casters, brass-and nickel-plated bells, and split rings, 50 1/4 x 19 1/4 x 33 3/4 inches. Installation view of ‘Haegue Yang: Emergence’ at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada, 2020. Photo by Craig Boyko, AGO.“Aqua-Respirating Soul Sheet – Mesmerizing Mesh #263” (2024), Hanji, washi, and origami paper on alu-dibond, framed, 24 3/8 x 24 3/8 inches.
CEO-founder of Visualflood. A Brazilian fine art photographer, among other things, who loves visual arts, nature, science, and innovative technologies.
