Haegue Yang

Haegue Yang was born in Seoul in 1971 and lives and works in Berlin.

Haegue Yang’s practice is characterized by a combination of strength and delicacy. She transforms everyday objects—clothes drying racks, Venetian blinds, and envelope liners—into sculptural installations that give familiar materials a poetic and sometimes enigmatic quality. Through geometric yet fluid compositions—at times evoking a human presence—she reveals a sense of mystery and spirituality within the ordinary.

At Atelier Calder, Yang created two “furniture sculptures” combining yew roots with various objects, including tools, glass spheres, and stones. The works, Seat of Grandeur at Villeperdue and Adventure at Villeperdue (both 2015), drew on the Asian traditions of bonsai and suiseki, the practice of collecting stones that evoke landscapes or figures and are believed to possess protective qualities. Transforming natural elements into sculptural presences, the works highlighted the intricate forms, colors, and interwoven roots, while their monumental scale shifted the conventions of these traditional practices.