Current Exhibitions
Colour of Nature – The Shape of Recovery
by
Han A Reum
21 May.- 13. June. 2026
My new installation piece, “The Shape of Recovery,” at Cascade Art Concept explores the theme of life’s fragility and resilience through my artistic expression. “While butterflies may appear delicate, they are beings that ultimately take flight only after a prolonged period of endurance.” A single butterfly undergoes multiple transformations to live. From the time spent crawling on the ground and the dark, silent period within the chrysalis to the moment it finally ascends towards the light. Within its modest body, the phases of disappearance, anticipation, and metamorphosis accumulate. I believe it bears resemblance to human life. As we traverse life, we crumble and transform countless times. Affections evolve into wounds, and cherished moments fade away. Nevertheless, humans are not entities that cease entirely. We persist within invisible temporalities, open our hearts anew to life, and opt to continue living. The butterfly symbolises „the restoration of existence.“ Each butterfly embodies a singular life and heart. Although they sway in various directions, intersect, and disperse, they ultimately compose a unified flow within the same space. This resembles a scene in which individuals, bearing different wounds and histories, converge to form the world. Hanji is also a material forged through prolonged use. Just as fibres unravel, entangle, and intertwine to take on new forms, Hanji processed through the Joomchi technique develops a more resilient and profound texture after being subjected to wounds and pressure. I perceived this process as reflective of the human heart. Consequently, the butterflies featured in this work are not merely natural forms. They represent traces of elapsed time and the will to bloom anew despite wounds, and serve as metaphors for entities that ultimately recover. The innumerable wings filling the space brush against and sway with one another, creating a single flow. This movement subtly overlaps with the emotions stored in each viewer’s memories. For some, it may evoke a past love; for others, it may symbolise a period of sustained perseverance. Nature persistently presents us with familiar scenes—new sprouts emerging post-winter, and life ultimately returning to landscapes that seemed frozen. Through this work, I aim to express that although life continually fluctuates and transforms, certain hearts within it eventually revive. Perhaps, we are all beings capable of soaring once more after enduring our own periods of time. |
