The title of Korean artist Haegue Yang’s exhibition at the Hayward Gallery is certainly apt, as she leaps between different subjects and materials, from folk art to household objects, from paper collage to clusters of bells. I went for the basketry but stayed for much more. These were my three favourite themes.
Basketry
There were two main groups of basketry exhibits. One, a series of randed rattan sculptures, was created with artisans in the Philippines. The organic forms are adorned with artificial plants as well as industrial handles. Along with several other sculptures, they are mounted on wheels, which allows them to be moved around the gallery throughout the exhibition.
The floor is decorated with patterns inspired by weather maps, perhaps suggesting that the pieces are moved by elemental forces beyond their control.
It struck me that floors are often a vastly under-used element in galleries and can add an extra dimension when used in this way.
The other basketry group was an anthropomorphic series called The Intermediates, produced after Yang and her team learned straw weaving from a Korean artisan. With titles like Chinese Bride and Lion Dance on One Leg, the ensemble evokes traditional Korean festivals and dances.
Interestingly, the straw, plants, feathers, and seaweed used in these pieces are all artificial. It’s unclear whether she was making an artistic point or whether it was for logistical/durability reasons.
Collages
Yang’s collages draw on eclectic materials, including sandpaper, security envelopes, and hardware catalogues.
But I really loved her Mesmerising Mesh series, using hanji paper made from mulberry bark and following indigenous paper cutting traditions. The dense layers of colour and pattern are indeed mesmerising.
Venetian blinds
Venetian blinds are a recurring motif in Yang’s work, and I found myself contemplating the lines between visible and invisible, the hidden and half-revealed, throughout the exhibition.
This climaxed with Star-Crossed Rendezvous after Yun, an installation featuring several layers of Venetian blinds in different colours. To the accompaniment of music by Korean composer and dissident Isang Yun, coloured lights move through and across the blinds, creating fascinating patterns and moire effects. Sounds pretentious I know, but I found it oddly compelling.
Finally, before you leave the top floor, look out of the window for a view of an array of metallic windmills reflected in the water against the brutalist backdrop of the South Bank.
Haegue Yang: Leap Year runs at the Hayward Gallery until 5 January 2025.
