“The Diverse Ensemble of Haegue Yang’s Mixed-Media Sculptures”
**Exploring Haegue Yang’s Multisensory Exhibit: “Leap Year” at Hayward Gallery**
The exhibition *Leap Year* by the acclaimed South Korean artist Haegue Yang at Hayward Gallery in London is a captivating exploration of sound, materiality, ritual, and movement. The show, which runs through January 5, 2025, delves into Yang’s signature multidisciplinary approach, merging themes of the everyday with the enigmatic, and it encourages audience participation as a fundamental aspect of the experience.
### Sonic Journeys Through “Leap Year”
Visitors are immediately enveloped in a sensory experience as they enter the exhibition through *Sonic Droplets in Gradation – Water Veil*, a curtain of tiny bells. The act of walking through this entrance produces a gentle metallic jingle, akin to stepping into a mystical temple or bustling shop. This seamless integration of sound, material, and movement establishes the tone for the rest of *Leap Year*, encouraging viewers to contemplate sound in both its spiritual and material dimensions.
This entrance is not just functional but symbolic, inviting audiences to engage bodily and mentally with Yang’s broader reflections on the interconnectivity between the sacred and material worlds, alongside the role of the viewer in ‘activating’ art.
### Complex Juxtapositions: From Western Art History to Global Folk Traditions
What stands out in Yang’s *Leap Year* is the clever intertwining of seemingly disparate cultural and historical references. Her works effortlessly combine Western art history with domestic design, non-Western spiritual practices, meteorology, folklore, and the globalized ebb and flow of trade. A striking example of this interdisciplinary fusion is the central group of sculptures in the exhibition. These pieces, mounted on castors and made from venetian blinds, rattan, reflective strips, and metal bells, boldly contrast their immediate surroundings. The gallery walls, painted in “Quasi-Yves Klein Blue” as Yang calls it—a nod to the French artist known for his iconic dark blue hue—are adorned with monochrome collages of cultural figures like George Orwell and Vaslav Nijinsky. Meanwhile, a large vinyl map laid across the gallery floor evokes weather patterns or even traces of balletic choreography.
These varied sculptures are not passive—they are activated weekly by performers dressed in black, who, without any prior notice, enact a quiet ritual, moving the sculptures by their metal handles and performing an enigmatic choreography based on the esoteric map that dominates the gallery floor. The interaction with these sculptures emphasizes the subtleties in their materials: the soft creak of rattan, the gentle clattering of venetian blinds, and the near-inaudible tinkling of the metallic bells.
### The Ritual and the Tactile: Indigenous and Folkloric Inspirations
In another section of the exhibit, Yang dives deeper into the notion of rituals, especially those derived from shamanism and indigenous cultures. Her ongoing series of collages, *Mesmerizing Mesh* (2021–ongoing), is influenced by her study of traditional paper-cutting and folding techniques used in Korean shamanism. These collages are created with *hanji*, a traditional Korean mulberry paper known for its associations with mystical and spiritual ceremonies. The intricate collages, layered and detailed, possess an astonishing delicacy that reflects the multi-faceted nature of folk rituals.
Moreover, Yang incorporates a set of straw-woven sculptures into this section, all of which bear an anthropomorphic quality. Drawing upon a variety of weaving practices from cultures around the globe—May Day celebrations in the UK, Korean bridal headpieces, and more—Yang creates works that seem to echo ancient folk celebrations. *The Intermediates – Dancing in Woven Masks* (2015) is a collection of hybrid, almost otherworldly figures that stand as if waiting for activation themselves. From their straw masks to their woven bodies, they exude a sense of dormant power, which is both humorous and sinister.
### Technology and Atmospheric Sculpture
As visitors progress through the exhibition, the tone shifts from organic and folkloric to an emphasis on technology and atmospheric manipulation. The final rooms showcase works such as *Series of Vulnerable Arrangements – Version Utrecht* (2006), which employ heat lamps, scent atomizers, and fans, constructing a sensory atmosphere extending beyond the visual. Yang uses this sensory manipulation to question the impact of these factors on how art is produced, experienced, and received by audiences. Here, venetian blinds play an important symbolic role, concealing and revealing the gallery space in a way that reflects broader themes of balance and the act of seeing—or not seeing.
Yang’s fascination with venetian blinds as both functional and aesthetic objects is evident throughout the show. Despite their association with privacy and partition, the blinds also serve as powerful sculptural forms within her practice, as essential to her work as light or sound.
### A Celebration Across Cultures
In *Leap Year