The Next Generation – Hanna Bang

Painting Codes

Hanna Bang’s smooth and enigmatic canvases unearth a hidden plane of vision and thought. The Vancouver, Canada-based painter’s perfect flattening and bending of vague interior areas challenges our perception of framed space. By doing so, Bang cleverly conceals and reveals the components of an individualized cryptogram. Bang utilizes popular Korean media and culture, as well as inspiration from artifacts and North American life, to construct exciting and reflective compositions. By drawing cultural inspiration from both the past and present, placing emphasis on Korean and East Asian perspectives, Bang’s artwork introduces an entirely new vernacular to describe the viewpoint of a personal experience relevant and applicable to many. The work of Hanna Bang is meant to morph and evolve with time, keeping each painting consistently ambiguous and thrilling like a complex secret code written to remain unbroken.

Part One: Who is Hanna Bang?

Question Two: Who are you as an artist?

I was raised under artist parents so art was always around me. I went to openings and artist talks as a child so that definitely influenced my artistic vision. Through my art practice I try to suggest/ introduce the perspective of Koreans in our generation. Although we were raised in a very multicultural background, East Asian art is still often defined by traditional elements. As an Asian artist I am always aware and interested in redefining the cultural language that wider audience can resonate and relate to.

Question Three: In terms of your artistic journey, why are you here and where are you going?

This is such a sad answer but I am trapped in my home studio due to the pandemic. All my plans to travel and making art in a different city got cancelled. But I am forever grateful that I have a rocking home studio and my artworks shifted so much into an unexpected direction during this time. I plan to make publications of photo works next year and hopefully settle in a new city and go back to school for a master degree.

Question Four: What do you absolutely need your audience to know about you or your work?

Nothing! I feel like viewing art should be meaningful internally. Art is not something sacred these days. The mindset of going to a gallery should be easy as watching a film. It is always totally up to the viewers.

Question Five: What has the process of making art taught you or given you?

No matter how much I get stressful for choosing this path, I can’t deny that making art is somehow therapeutic. I can hate my work one day but I know that its not really that terrible. I can sit on it for hours and it definitely gets better either by painting over it or looking at it with a different perspective. That is how I feel better about myself and my artwork.

Question #7: What keeps you going?

The best and worst part of being an artist is that you never know what you will be doing in the next few years. Some artists started out as painters ending up as writers, some moved to ceramics etc. Even for artists who stick with their medium, its unpredictable to know how and which direction your art practice will evolve. This sort of life style is risky but definitely exciting to me.

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Part Two: Forever Evolving

Please describe your work and practice as best you can

My sketchbook always turns out to look like a scheduler. I always have a plan for the day. Since I work on 5 to 8 paintings in the same time, it is very easy to go off track. I make really really sloppy thumbnail sketches. I only choose two to three colors that I will definitely use. I make 90% of the decisions while I am actually painting. I love when I paint over an old painting and really embrace the under layers. It does not take too long to finish about 80% of the painting, but the last 20% takes forever. I have to think on it for weeks to finish it, sometimes I end up scrapping it as well.

Where/ How can Vacant Museum viewers see more of your work and where can they purchase it?

I have a website (hannabang.com) that I upload once in a while. I upload works in progress and news for future shows in my instagram (@hannabangjr). Yes it is for sale and they can email me for any inquiries through hannabangart@gmail.com.