haegue yang: arcane abstractions

mexico city

february 8 — april 5, 2025

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haegue yang, moonless soul site–mesmerizing mesh #266, 2024

kurimanzutto is proud to present Haegue Yang’s second solo exhibition in Mexico City, Arcane Abstractions, featuring works that present a continuation of her deep engagement with abstraction on her own terms. The exhibition brings together diverse bodies of work and diverse bodies of work, alongside an archival display with pieces made by Mexican artisans and references to local materials closely tied to the works on view. 

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 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. 

An integral part of Yang’s exhibition is the accompanying publication Mesmerizing Mesh – Power Paper, which documents her exploration of the ritualistic use of paper. Including a notable essay by Marta Turok, Power Paper serves as an introduction to paper’s role within vernacular craftsmanship and ritualistic traditions drawn from indigenous life, folk culture, and shamanism.