Imi Hwangbo’s newest series of prints and constructed drawings envision a threshold to a space of reverie and invention. “The Diviner Series” expresses both unencumbered freedom and refined discipline through the artist’s labor-intensive practice.
Hwangbo’s prints are made with the simplest of tools- a pencil, a ruler and evolve slowly over a period of months. Graphite is layered to create rich darks, and the outer perimeter is created with tiny, pointillistic marks. The drawing process is both meditative and illusionistic, mapping time and space. The hand-drawn contrasts with elaborate cut paper mounted in relief. These cut patterns of floating fields of flowers are derived from Korean decorative arts and express desires for longevity, fertility and harmony. The illusionistic drawing combined with the cut paper transforms both formal techniques into a half-real and half-imagined space.