Seonna Hong: "Things Will Get Better"

Hashimoto Contemporary is pleased to present Things Will Get Better, a solo show of new paintings by Los Angeles-based artist Seonna Hong. Expanding upon her series of expressionistic landscapes, Hong’s second solo exhibition with the gallery features a body of work which suggests that comfort and camaraderie may be the answer to helplessness in the face of oppression.

There is a somewhat narrative quality to Hong’s Things Will Get Better. The viewer finds themselves amid a beautiful, surreal landscape of swirling acrylic mountains and patches of foggy pink clouds. This bleary, desaturated realm offers an escape from the ever-looming and at times terrifying socio-political landscape just outside the gallery. Barren trees and colorful arches dot the planes of Hong’s work while small, collaged figures meander throughout. The characters appear to be searching, at times isolated but never alone; frequently they stop to offer a helping hand, a reassuring hug.

Says Hong of the work “This show is about reckoning. I found myself in the last couple years being overwhelmed by what was happening in the world and it forced me to rethink my place in it as a woman, a person of color, a mother, and as a citizen. I looked for inspiration in people around me, their activism, their work, their humanity and I found hope and community in that.”

The quiet vibrance of Hong’s work honors both the reality of helplessness and the hopefulness of friendship and community, offering the simple yet profound idea that in time, as long as we have each other, things will indeed get better.

Please join us for Things Will Get Better, opening Saturday, October 6th with an evening reception from 6pm-9pm, where the artist will be in attendance. Included as part of the exhibition will be a limited edition print, available first to attendees of the exhibition. Things Will Get Better is on view through Saturday, October 27th. For more information, additional images, or exclusive content, please email us at [email protected]