The Intermediates by Haegue Yang at Tate Liverpool

'For Liverpool Biennial 2018, Haegue Yang has created an immersive environment for her sculpture series The Intermediates (2015-ongoing) in Tate Liverpool’s Wolfson Gallery. Made from artificial woven straw, The Intermediates allude to both traditional arts and crafts techniques and modern industrial production methods. Representing figures and sites from folk tales and ancient traditions, they question definitions of ‘paganism’. Yang’s environment for these works includes recordings of wildlife taken from the British Library’s sound collection, a wallpaper juxtaposing pagan traditions and modern history, and suspended ribbons that evoke folk traditions such as maypole dancing. Her multisensory, hybrid environments suggest fleeting connotations of time, place, figures and experiences that connect ‘folk’ traditions and contemporary culture.'



I thoroughly enjoyed being immersed in Yang's work. It was a delight for all senses, and the kind of exhibition that one could return to on numerous occasions and each time find something new. I appreciate the combination of media and the difference in intensities and paces of making and viewing. For instance, some aspects are rather immediate, and one gets an initial overwhelming feeling by being bombarded with such an array of colour, texture and forms. However, there are items that have been made with painstaking detail and require careful attention.