Kunsthal is the setting for Haegue Yang's sensory world

Leading South Korean artist Haegue Yang Yang draws inspiration from socio-political history, as well as crafts and rituals ranging from European pagan traditions to non-Western folk arts or shamanic practices. From 1 March, Kunsthal presents Leap Year, a multifaceted retrospective featuring more than 70 works, including installations, sculptures, videos and audio works.

Deliberately non-chronological, Leap Year is loosely structured into several thematic zones: Social, Political, Spiritual Everyday, Quasi-Performativity and Singular Multiple. The sequence unfolds through the way the audience gets carried away by their own perceptions and associations.

A striking work is Storage Piece (2004), an installation consisting of nothing but stacked artworks in boxes and crates. It depicts Yang's precarious nomadic life as a young artist. This work, created by her lack of storage space, turned a personal problem into a broader narrative about migration, connection and the socio-economic challenges of artists worldwide.

Rotterdam artist Pris Roos has been invited to address Speech for Storage Piece (2004). Roos strongly recognises the theme: many artists have to leave their studios to make way for housing in the city, due to gentrification. Showing Storage Piece gives a sense of how this theme is still socially relevant.

Museum Night

The exhibition Haegue Yang: Leap Year will experience a smashing start during Museumnacht010 with a large number of young and new museum enthusiasts. It will be an evening of inspiration, giving visitors the chance to discover Yang's work. Between 20:00 and 01:00, there will be pop-up performances and surprising events throughout the building.