Yang Hae-gue’s art cuts through regions, generations, times

By Park Yuna

After spending hours in meetings in the morning for her newly opened exhibition, Yang Hae-gue, a Korea-born installation artist who is one of the most in-demand artists across the globe today -- sat down with The Korea Herald on Monday, skipping lunch due to her tight schedule.

“Please do not worry about me,” Yang said in a voice that sounded as if she could continue hours for the sake of her art. The artist, 49, is holding her fifth solo exhibition in Korea at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. The exhibition, “MMCA Hyundai Motor Series 2020: Haegue Yang - O2 & H2O,” showcases the artist’s 40 works, including works created for the show.

Yang Hae-gue poses next to her latest “Sonic Domesticus” series at MMCA Seoul (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)

In partnership with the Hyundai Motor Company, the state-run museum annually invites an influential Korean artist to hold a solo exhibition. Yang was selected from among 30 candidates recommended by curators for the growing recognition of her work at home and abroad. Although officially described as being based in Germany and Korea, Yang is one of the busiest globe-trotting artists, putting on exhibitions around the world, including a major show at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) which opened last fall and runs through Nov. 15.

At the MMCA exhibition, Yang’s endeavor as an artist is well-demonstrated in her new work, “Sonic Clotheshorses,” a laundry drying rack whose frame is enshrouded with bells as though shaping a body. She came up with more than 40 different shapes of racks, and the seventh and eighth shapes are on display at the museum...READ MORE