Work

Hwang was originally trained as a realist painter,^[7] but began using her signature buttons in the aftermath of the events of 9 / 11.^[8] As Barbara Pollack writes, Hwang's technique elevates the mundane object, both in recycling and in reference to the 'labor force of the international garment industry...performed by millions of women, many in Asian countries.'^[7] Her initial use of buttons, pins and thread came from an early job at a NYC embroidery firm.^[9] The construction of her sculptures is laborious, as the artist hammers thousands of nails into the wall in order to create a complex work. Her motifs often explore classical Asian subjects, such as trees, temples, birds, flowers, and Buddhas.^[10][11] She describes her process as meditative, through which the repetition of the hammering evokes a Zen-like discipline.^[12][13]

Although her work often references classical Asian motifs, Ran Hwang reinterprets these images through her medium, redefining her cultural heritage. While the array of pins and buttons appear cohesive from a distance, the impermanence of their construction and fragile structure contradict that illusion. As an immigrant artist, Ran Hwang's work appears as a transformation of her cultural background,^[14] while also featuring American icons, such as Marilyn Monroe. Her assemblage technique retains a performative element, as the act of disassembling the work also reminds the viewer of the cyclical nature of growth and beauty. Her video work echoes the same themes. In Garden of Water (2010), a tableau of spiders and chandeliers is projected onto plexiglass. They assemble rapidly, only to be washed away and return again, echoing themes of excess and futility within her work.^[15]