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LEILA HELLER GALLERY - Ran Hwang

1,935 views · Published 22 February 2014 · 6:42 · Indexed 30 October 2026

Channel: NYC GALLERY OPENINGS · 2014 · Entertainment

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Ran Hwang
The Snowfall of Spiders

February 20th - March 21st, 2014
Opening:  February 20th 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

A solo show by Korean artist Ran Hwang will be on view at Leila Heller Gallery 
in Chelsea from February 20 -- March 21, 2014. The exhibition will feature six 
new works that explore the cycle of life, death and rebirth. These new works, in 
shades of champagne golds, cherry reds, tiffany blues, and luminous silvers, are 
created from Hwang's signature buttons, beads, and pins. Also on view will be 
a new monumental multimedia installation. A fully illustrated catalogue with 
an essay by art critic Eleanor Heartney will accompany the exhibition.

In her second solo exhibition at the Gallery, Hwang will explore the brevity and 
fragility of life. The blossoming and decaying of flowers, an urn -- a vessel for 
remains, and a Buddha — the teacher of reincarnation, are common motifs in 
Hwang's work. Eleanor Heartney writes in the catalogue essay, "In Hwang's 
work, buttons and pins become so much more -- in their subtle, trembling 
movement, they become metaphors for human freedom." Hwang will 
transform the main gallery into an interactive, virtual garden. Fifteen
Plexiglas panels featuring cherry blossoms made of silver pins and vibrant 
paper buttons interlaced with delicate, sparkling crystal spider webs will be 
suspended from the ceiling. The panels are infused with a video projection of 
a snowy white forest, which morphs into red cherry blossoms that are then 
consumed by a scattering of black spiders. The work, an emblem for the circle 
of life, shows the transition from winter to spring, and the growth, evolution 
and ultimately death that accompany the seasonal transition.

Hwang's motifs of blossoms, Buddha's, and urns come from her preoccupation 
with Zen Buddhism. Additionally, Zen Buddhism plays a part in Hwang's 
creative process. Creating hand made paper buttons and hammering each pin 
approximately 25 times until it is secure are time consuming tasks. The 
monotony and receptiveness of these actions require the upmost 
concentration and discipline, recalling the meditative state practiced
by Zen masters.  

Although Hwang refers to her Korean heritage by incorporating aspects of Zen
Buddhism into her artist practice, she is also very much influenced by her time 
living in the United States. Heartney writes, "Buddhism is only part of Hwang's 
heritage. As a Korean born woman who has lived in the United States since 
1997, her consciousness is a mélange of influences, all of which mingle in her 
complexly layered work. She notes that while she was brought up in a Buddhist 
family, she had grown away from Buddhism until she witnessed the events of 
September 11, 2001. 

The sight of the burning buildings and falling bodies brought her back to 
questions of mortality, time and the fragility of life. It was after this experience 
that the Buddha began to appear in her work, taking his place among other 
less specifically Asian images. Reflecting on her bi cultural consciousness, 
Hwang says, "I use Western objects with an Oriental mind."

Born in the Republic of Korea in 1960, Ran Hwang lives and works in both 
Seoul and New York City. She studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York 
City and attended the Graduate School of Fine Arts at ChungGAng University in 
Seoul. She has exhibited at several international institutions including the 
Queens Museum of Art, New York; The Hudson Valley Center for the Arts, New 
York; the Chelsea Art Museum, New York; The Seoul Arts Center Museum; and 
The Jeju Museum of Art, Jeju Island. Hwang's work is also a part of numerous 
private and public collections including The Brooklyn Museum, New York; The 
Des Moines Center for the Arts, Iowa; The National Museum of Contemporary 
Art, Seoul; and The Hammond Museum, North Salem, NY.

Music by:
Chill Carrier - A New Day

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