HANMI GALLERY is pleased to announce its 13th interim exhibition, ‘Three Gates.’ Mythical gateways into other worlds have appeared throughout human history, from the culture of the ancient Egyptians through to contemporary comics and science fiction movies. Via these portals, humans can enter the realms of the dead, of deities and of grotesque or magical beings; they can also attain profound mystical experiences and altered states of consciousness. Inspired by famous gates in mythology, the exhibition ‘Three Gates’ explores the physical and psychological ‘spaces’, which we inhabit and explore in contemporary society.

 

The Gate of Ivory

 

According to Greek mythology, this is the gate through which we journey into our dreams. In his seminal work, Jung explored the notion that our dreams open a door into the innermost, secret recesses of the soul, where we are freed from mundane limitations. The artist Juyoung Lee explores this realm in which our hidden and prohibited desires are given free expression.  She poses questions about the dangerous possibilities, if the mythical gatekeeper of the Gate of Ivory were to be absent, and the dreams were to escape through the Gate into the real world…

 

The Pillars of Hercules

 

In Mediterranean cultures, the Pillars of Hercules represented the furthermost limits of civilization, beyond which there was nothing: ‘Nec plus ultra.’ Where are the uncharted territories for people alive today? Do we want to explore, and if so, what do we expect to find? Through simple gestures, Nastja Rönkkö’s performances create private and intimate encounters. These encounters with an unknown provide us with a special opportunity to explore unexpected emotions and desires. In her video works, Hanae Utamura attempts to remove the traces of the wind upon the Sahara dessert, a physically impossible act. Through this subtle and insistent intervention, she suggests that we can transform our beliefs about the world around us, effecting profound changes and opening up new interior worlds.

 

The Mirror

 

The ‘mirror’ has fascinated storytellers and artists for centuries as a symbolic device for self-encounter as in the Greek myth of Narcissus and also as a gateway into another dimension of experience. In modern ‘tales’ such as the popular British TV series, ‘Dr. Who’, and sci-fi films such as ‘Another Earth’ (2011), the characters encounter their doubles in parallel universes. What can the ‘other you’ disclose about your identity? Alessandra Ferrini poses this question in her project Homeward Bound (Tu Casa Es Mi Casa). As she leafs through an old album, rescued from an abandoned house, Ferrini suggests that the camera, like a mirror, reflects an image of oneself. A single subject, however, offers an infinite number of possibilities – each portrait seeming to capture a different skin, identity or essence. The more she studies the photographs the more affinity she feels with the woman portrayed, as if their separate identities were merging into one. Andrew Campbell’s lines establish physical limits – tangible boundaries in real space – which force a decision about the route to take. He evokes the complex decision-making process we face when navigating and overcoming obstacles in daily life, those ‘Sliding Doors’ moments when we ponder the alternative lives we would have had if we had made a different choice, gone down a different path. He invites us to reflect on the level of autonomy we have, and the extent to which our decisions and choices are conditioned by society.

 

EVENTS

 

Wednesday 14   6-8 pm – Opening Performance Touch
Friday 16  6.30 pm – Hypnotherapy talk The Wizard of Us. Deborah Marshall-Warren, Deputy Chair of the National Hypnotherapy Society.
5-7 pm – Touch (performance)
Saturday 17    2 pm – Beyond the Pillars of Hercules: ‘Day Trippers’ and ‘Made in China’, Artist Presentation by Eva Lis.
3-5 pm – Touch(performance)