CONTEMPORARY HYBRIDITY IN MEXICO CITY

Structured as a ritualistic passage, the exhibition’s layout uses the architectural axes of the gallery to create symmetrical arrangements of the works. Central pieces include Mexican-crafted interpretations of the Japanese sacred straw rope shimenawa and the Slavic pagan harvest celebratory object didukh, both of which were produced in collaboration with local artisans using traditional methods and Mexican materials.

Arcane Abstractions features most of the exhibited elements in suspended form: hanging wooden display for flat works, archival materials, and paired sculptural works. Fog is emitted from two corners of the gallery, gradually filling up the space and dissipating over time to reveal the bare floor.

The cross-cultural reinterpretations of the Mesmerizing Votive Pagoda Lanterns, as well as traditional elements like the Japanese shimenawa, the Korean geumjul, the Ukrainian didukh, and the Slavic wieńce dożynkowe, reflect both Yang’s ongoing interest in the transmission of cultural heritage and her desire to incorporate contemporary hybridity through collaboration. At the core of these concerns lies the traditional Korean garden concept of "borrowed landscape," which is not about ownership but rather an appreciation of nature and the environment.

In addition to Yang’s Mesmerizing Mesh, a series of works made with mulberry paper, another focal point of the exhibition is an archival presentation of documents, objects, and publications related to ritualistic paper traditions. Drawing on her research and field trips, Yang explores the paper-cutting techniques of various cultural practices, including Korean hanji, Polish wycinanki, Philippine pabalat, Otomi amate, and Mexican papel picado. The selection of Mesmerizing Mesh in Arcane Abstractions demonstrates her most recent development in abstract compositions emerging from an interweaving of traditional visual elements drawn from Mexican, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Punjabi, and Hmong cultures.

Arcane Abstractions reflects Yang’s sustained inquiry into cultural heritage, material exploration, and ritualistic symbolism, seeking to foster a genuine dialogue toward fluidity without losing one’s vernacular, tribal, and civilizational perspective. Yang puts forward a proposal to live our lives today with a holistic view of mobility and technology, respect for spirituality, as well as contemplation on the resilient adaptability of both nature and humans. In so doing, she offers viewers an opportunity to engage with a layered and symbolic interplay of tradition and contemporary art.

Arcane Abstractions will be on display until April 5, 2025, at kurimanzutto, Gob. Rafael Rebollar 94 col. San Miguel Chapultepec 11850 Mexico City (Mexico).