Leila Heller Gallery presents ‘Transition,’
an exhibition by Ran Hwang from Apr. 5- Apr. 27

http://artofthemideast.com/2012/04/03/leila-heller-gallery-presents-transition-an-exhibition-by-ran-hwang-from-apr-5-apr-27/

"Transition will feature eight works made of buttons, beads, crystals, thread, and pins, and will also include a video installation."
"Using common, mass-produced fashion materials, Hwang creates striking works of art that transform and re-contextualize these everyday objects."
"Hwang contrasts the figure’s solid form with a spattering of buttons and beads that fall from the edge of the work into the negative space that surrounds it. This notion of the artwork’s deterioration is common practice in Hwang’s repertoire as she reminds the viewer of the dichotomy of permanence and impermanence, and ultimately the transience of life."

"In the catalogue essay, Barbara Pollack writes: “On one hand, it is an overtly labor-intensive mode of art-making, to the point that thinking about the sheer effort can distract from appreciation of the work. But, for the artist, the task of mounting buttons upon buttons, one pin at a time, parallels a Buddhist monk’s practice of staring at a blank wall for months on end as a path to enlightenment. Her art-making is entirely meditative for Hwang, and she hopes that viewers can share the meditative state evoked by her strongest work.”"