Sculpted Dreamscape: YoAhn Han

January 17 – May 3, 2025

Sculpted Dreamscape showcases the intricate imagery of Boston-based artist YoAhn Han. Through his use of stratified mixed-media, Han explores concepts of life and death depicting human bodies and flora and their metaphorical meanings. The artist superimposes various materials to create these artworks; gouache, watercolors, color pencils, Flashe, ink, and precisely cut Yupo paper illustrate images that demand close consideration. In Sound of Spring, delicate flowers mingle with a torso and an outstretched hand. Shades of blue and purple evoke an aquatic environment that is balanced by the warmth of the flaxen flecks.  

Han attributes his creative process to living with cerebral arteriovenous malformation – a lifelong medical condition where one may experience seizures. Han explains his artistic process as, “the attempt to control chaos and the seemingly uncontrollable quality of the body that I live with.” Han’s work investigates the “paradoxical union of life and death.” 

Chrysanthemums appear in many of the artist’s works.  Korean-born Han states, “this flower represents the promise of life when it blooms, it is also used at funerals in Korea and therefore is associated with the sorrow of everlasting sleep.” The reconfigured bodies and floral shapes represent the juxtaposition of pain and pleasure – a fundamental concept that influences Han in his artwork and life.