Kunsthal Rotterdam has unveiled Haegue Yang: Leap Year, the first major survey exhibition of the renowned South Korean artist in the Netherlands. Running from March 1 to August 31, 2025, the exhibition showcases Yang’s diverse and experimental practice spanning three decades, incorporating installations, sculptures, video, text, and sound.
A leading figure in contemporary art, Yang is known for her transformative use of everyday objects such as aluminum blinds, drying racks, and metal bells. Her works challenge conventional perception by engaging the senses through movement, light, sound, heat, and even scent. By integrating theatrical lighting, shadow play, and acrobatically arranged household items, Yang constructs immersive spaces that explore themes of identity, migration, history, and cultural hybridity.
Kunsthal Rotterdam, located in the city’s Museumpark, is celebrated for its bold and open architectural design by Rem Koolhaas. The museum’s wall-free, linear structure provides a dynamic setting for Yang’s work, enhancing the interplay between space, material, and movement. This exhibition, a continuation of Yang’s European tour following her London Hayward Gallery show, presents new spatial interpretations of her existing pieces while introducing site-specific installations.
Among the highlights of Leap Year is The Randing Intermediates – Underbelly Alienage Duo (2020), a series of woven sculptures created in collaboration with Filipino artisans. These organic forms, reminiscent of marine creatures, incorporate traditional weaving techniques and artificial plants, while industrial handles suggest their mobility. Positioned against walls painted in Quasi-Yves Klein Blue—a near-match to the iconic blue patented by French artist Yves Klein—this work provokes questions about authenticity, reproduction, and cultural heritage. The specific shade was selected through an unconventional method: Kunsthal’s security staff examined local paint samples to determine the closest approximation to Klein’s original hue.
A new site-specific installation, Star-Crossed Rendezvous after Yun (2024), is inspired by the Korean composer and dissident Isang Yun (1917–1995). The work features geometric arrangements of blinds, choreographed lighting, and Yun’s Double Concerto (1977), a composition for harp and oboe loosely based on a Korean folktale. The narrative parallels the separation and reunion of two lovers, metaphorically reflecting Korea’s own historical division. Through this fusion of visual art and music, Yang continues her exploration of political and cultural narratives.
Yang, who divides her time between Berlin and Seoul, has exhibited globally at major institutions, including MoMA in New York, Tate St Ives, Centre Pompidou, and Museum Ludwig. She has received numerous accolades, including the Wolfgang Hahn Prize (2018) and the Benesse Prize (2022).
Accompanying the exhibition is a 192-page catalog featuring essays by Yung Ma, senior curator at Hayward Gallery, and Berlin-based writer Pablo Larios, as well as an interview with Yang conducted by curator Lynne Cooke. The catalog, designed by London-based studio Wolfe Hall, also includes a graphic essay by Taipei illustrator Chihoi.
For younger audiences, Kunsthal Rotterdam offers an interactive Look & Do trail, providing children aged 6 to 12 with a playful introduction to Yang’s installations through a booklet filled with questions and activities.
As part of the exhibition programming, a guided tour in sign language will take place on June 14, and on March 21, Friday Night LIVE will host a special evening event featuring Leap Year.
By challenging traditional artistic hierarchies and blurring the boundaries between history, folklore, and modernity, Yang’s Leap Year presents a compelling reflection on contemporary identity and cultural transformation.
Kunsthal Rotterdam has unveiled Haegue Yang: Leap Year, the first major survey exhibition of the renowned South Korean artist in the Netherlands. Running from March 1 to August 31, 2025, the exhibition showcases Yang’s diverse and experimental practice spanning three decades, incorporating installations, sculptures, video, text, and sound.
A leading figure in contemporary art, Yang is known for her transformative use of everyday objects such as aluminum blinds, drying racks, and metal bells. Her works challenge conventional perception by engaging the senses through movement, light, sound, heat, and even scent. By integrating theatrical lighting, shadow play, and acrobatically arranged household items, Yang constructs immersive spaces that explore themes of identity, migration, history, and cultural hybridity.
Kunsthal Rotterdam, located in the city’s Museumpark, is celebrated for its bold and open architectural design by Rem Koolhaas. The museum’s wall-free, linear structure provides a dynamic setting for Yang’s work, enhancing the interplay between space, material, and movement. This exhibition, a continuation of Yang’s European tour following her London Hayward Gallery show, presents new spatial interpretations of her existing pieces while introducing site-specific installations.
Among the highlights of Leap Year is The Randing Intermediates – Underbelly Alienage Duo (2020), a series of woven sculptures created in collaboration with Filipino artisans. These organic forms, reminiscent of marine creatures, incorporate traditional weaving techniques and artificial plants, while industrial handles suggest their mobility. Positioned against walls painted in Quasi-Yves Klein Blue—a near-match to the iconic blue patented by French artist Yves Klein—this work provokes questions about authenticity, reproduction, and cultural heritage. The specific shade was selected through an unconventional method: Kunsthal’s security staff examined local paint samples to determine the closest approximation to Klein’s original hue.
A new site-specific installation, Star-Crossed Rendezvous after Yun (2024), is inspired by the Korean composer and dissident Isang Yun (1917–1995). The work features geometric arrangements of blinds, choreographed lighting, and Yun’s Double Concerto (1977), a composition for harp and oboe loosely based on a Korean folktale. The narrative parallels the separation and reunion of two lovers, metaphorically reflecting Korea’s own historical division. Through this fusion of visual art and music, Yang continues her exploration of political and cultural narratives.
Yang, who divides her time between Berlin and Seoul, has exhibited globally at major institutions, including MoMA in New York, Tate St Ives, Centre Pompidou, and Museum Ludwig. She has received numerous accolades, including the Wolfgang Hahn Prize (2018) and the Benesse Prize (2022).
Accompanying the exhibition is a 192-page catalog featuring essays by Yung Ma, senior curator at Hayward Gallery, and Berlin-based writer Pablo Larios, as well as an interview with Yang conducted by curator Lynne Cooke. The catalog, designed by London-based studio Wolfe Hall, also includes a graphic essay by Taipei illustrator Chihoi.
For younger audiences, Kunsthal Rotterdam offers an interactive Look & Do trail, providing children aged 6 to 12 with a playful introduction to Yang’s installations through a booklet filled with questions and activities.
As part of the exhibition programming, a guided tour in sign language will take place on June 14, and on March 21, Friday Night LIVE will host a special evening event featuring Leap Year.
By challenging traditional artistic hierarchies and blurring the boundaries between history, folklore, and modernity, Yang’s Leap Year presents a compelling reflection on contemporary identity and cultural transformation.
