Artist Statement
My practice is an introspective study of the self through time—a commitment to deliberate, ongoing growth and an exploration of the relationship between the internal and external worlds. It is rooted in the belief that everything is connected.
The work appears abstract but is composed through a visual language developed over years of refinement and reduction into a personal iconography. Each piece is a record of growth—a part of the whole.
Natural Progression began as observation—an attempt to connect the external world with an introspective practice. As landscapes shaped the paintings, the paintings reshaped the mind and body. The work continues as an ongoing practice where the artwork becomes the artifact of lived philosophy.
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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 Detroit—the city he considers his hometown.