Artist Statement
My practice is an introspective study of the self—a commitment to deliberate, ongoing growth as an inquiry into what it means to be human. How to become fully oneself while remaining connected to and contributing to the whole. A fascination with how so much of life is a paradox.
My artwork appears abstract but is composed of a visual language developed through a decade of refinement and reduction into a personal iconography. Within this architecture, I am learning how to integrate the world I observe with my lived practice, Natural Progression. This simultaneous expression of the self and the imprint of the world manifests as experiences, objects, and observations for others to hold.
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Artist Bio
Mike Han (b. 1984, Ann Arbor, MI) is a Los Angeles–based artist born to Korean immigrants who landed in Metro Detroit in the early 70s. Han grew up surrounded by Mid-Century Modern design through his father's work at Herman Miller and later Knoll, which brought the family to Connecticut in the late 80s. There, frequent trips to New York City sparked a fascination with graffiti, architecture, and the singular experience of Keith Haring's Pop Shop in SoHo continues to resonate throughout his work.
Despite these early influences, Han did not consider himself an artist until his mid-twenties.
After moving from the East Coast to a predominantly white rural community in Michigan, Mike's family became the town's only Korean family. Struggling with identity and belonging, he distanced himself from his heritage in an effort to assimilate. His self-loathing culminated in a suicide attempt during his sophomore year of college, becoming the catalyst for both his personal growth and artistic journey.
This traumatic experience also led to a seminal trip to Korea in 2008. There, Han encountered woodcarving, calligraphy, and traditional architecture—an experience that reconnected his early fascination with art and design to the craftsmanship of his Korean heritage which laid the foundation for his artistic practice.
Han developed the visual language that defines his work today while living in Detroit and became a full-time artist in 2020. He has exhibited in Los Angeles, Seoul, Detroit, and Miami; completed commissions in Osaka, Florence, New York, and Chicago for public and private clients; and raised more than $350,000 for nonprofit organizations through his artwork. His work is held in corporate and institutional collections and has been featured internationally across art, design, and culture publications.
Han lives and works in Santa Monica with his French bulldog, Pudge, while maintaining a studio in his hometown, Detroit.