Yohan HÀN

Yohan HÀN (b. 1983) explores intuitive forms of sensation mediated through the body and action, working across sculptural objects, performance, and media installations. HÀN’s practice forges connections between elements rooted in primitive rituals and indigenous belief systems and the sensory experiences shaped by today’s digital media environment. He examines how digital technologies alter our perception of the body, while interrogating the endurance of “physical sensation” in an era where “physical presence is increasingly elusive.” His work centers on the concepts of resonance and sensation, exploring how modes of communication between material bodies are transformed within the digital environment. One of the key elements in HÀN’s work is the drum, crafted from animal hide. It serves not only as a percussive instrument but also as an instrumental object used in shamanistic rituals across various indigenous cultures. The drum has been regarded as a symbolic instrument that mediates between the visible and invisible realms, as well as the corporeal and the spiritual. It enables communal resonance and ritual communication. Drawing from diverse drum-making traditions, HÀN integrates these techniques into his creative process, using performance to reactivate forgotten gestures and to engage audiences through tactile, embodied interaction. For HÀN, skin is not merely the body’s surface but a sensory threshold—an interface between the inner self and the external world. Through its constant processes of transformation and shedding, the skin becomes a symbol of the body’s ever-shifting boundary. Touch, mediated through the skin, acts as a conduit for sensory experience, allowing people and objects to encounter each other on a deeper, more intimate level. By stitching skin and layering its textures, HÀN evokes physical connection and sensory awakening, inviting viewers into a space of shared vulnerability and embodied empathy. 

Yohan HÀN was born in 1983 in Trappes, France, and is currently based in Seoul, Korea. He received his Master’s degree in Department of Arts from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne in 2016 and earned the National Diploma from the École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts de Paris-Cergy in 2019. He has held solo exhibitions at venues including ARARIO GALLERY SEOUL (Seoul, Korea, 2025), Soorim Cube (Seoul, Korea, 2023), Parliament Gallery (Paris, France, 2022), and Gallery Chosun (Seoul, Korea, 2019). He has also participated in numerous group exhibitions and projects at institutions such as the Cheongju Museum of Art (Cheongju, Korea, 2025; 2020), National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Gwacheon, Korea, 2021), Kumho Museum of Art (Seoul, Korea, 2021), the Centre Pompidou (Paris, France, 2017), Espace des arts sans frontières (Paris, France, 2015; 2014), and Espace Pierre Cardin (Paris, France, 2014). His residency experience includes the MMCA Goyang Residency, Art Space Geumcheon, Cheongju Art Studio, La Générale (Paris), and the Cité Internationale des Arts (Paris). His works are included in collections such as the Cheongju Museum of Art.