Heesook Han

‘영감으로의 초대’ series, 18x26cm, Mixed media on canvas, 2024

Heesook Han’s art is composed of layers of perception and thought, built upon the long traces of wandering. The fragments of color, texture, and emotion she has gathered from years of travel around the world are revived at her fingertips, dancing in quiet harmony.
This exhibition, The Colors of Wandering – The Dance of Whispering Things, presents a body of work that distills the artist’s 30-year journey—both external and internal—into a visual language of painting and collage.

For decades, Han has collected sensuous materials such as handmade paper, fabric, mother-of-pearl, lace, and sequins. These materials, beyond their decorative qualities, function as emotional symbols and carriers of memory. Especially notable are the 48 drawing works in this exhibition, which were born at the intersection of imagery encountered in the outside world and impressions rooted deep within. Freely layered fragments of paper, accidental traces of flowing pigment, and the vibrations of repeated lines evoke a dance of unconscious fragments organically unfolding on the surface.

Yet Han’s work moves beyond visual beauty. Echoing Carl Jung’s concept of individuation, her practice becomes a form of spiritual inquiry—an artistic path of confronting, accepting, and integrating the shadows that dwell within. Emotions that defy articulation—fear, longing, desire, compassion—are translated into light, color, form, and texture, creating richly emotional landscapes.

A marked shift in this exhibition is the heightened presence of painterly language. Departing from the object-driven approach of earlier works, Han now explores the fluid boundaries between materiality and painting, engaging in more fundamental formal experimentation. Layered brushstrokes and translucent color flows may appear abstract at first glance, but they are saturated with the artist’s personal experiences and emotions.

At the core of this exploration is Han’s deep commitment to the “here and now.” Through meditation and prayer, she weaves each fleeting emotion and breath into art. This is not only a process of healing and liberation, but also a gesture of tenderness and empathy toward the human condition. Her work extends outward—to others, to nature, and to the ecological sensibilities that bind us.

With her distinctive sensitivity to color and profound psychological depth, Heesook Han reflects on the intricate emotional contours of life. This exhibition unfolds as a map of her inner journey, inviting viewers to encounter the quiet dance of whispering things within themselves.

Gallery We
We, 25-17, Hosu-ro 52beon-gil, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
031 266 3266

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