“The Diviner Series” at Ellen Miller Gallery in Boston
“The Diviner Series”, a solo exhibition of new constructed drawings and prints by Imi Hwangbo, will be shown at the Ellen Miller Gallery in Boston from November 29 – December 21, 2024.
Imi Hwangbo’s delicate reliefs carve two dimensional patterns, creating lines with edges, and shapes with negative space. Trained as a sculptor, Hwangbo’s practice combines image, object, and material. Her work recalls the traditional Korean art of pojagi: four-cornered wrapping cloths embroidered with patterns which reference Korean folk beliefs. Hwangbo’s patterns begin as hand-drawn shapes, which she develops with layers of cut paper. The completed artworks create depth with layered apertures and overlapping edges. “The Fathom Series” explores the boundaries between the real and imagined. Ever-present is the concept of infinity, implicit in her repeating patterns.
“The Constructed Print Series” is a new line of work from her studio. The hand-drawn image in these works is contrasted with an elaborate cut paper pattern mounted as a vivid relief element on the print. The patterns of floating fields of flowers are drawn from Korean decorative arts. Seen against an illusionistic image of great depth, the floral patterns create a drawing with light and shadow, half-real and half-imagined.
The Ellen Miller Gallery is a leading contemporary art gallery in Boston. The gallery is located in a premier space in the SoWA section of the South End. The gallery focuses primarily on mid and late career artists working with innovative materials and addressing societal themes.