Scott&Jae Gallery of Beverly Hills is pleased to present HWAA, a group exhibition exploring the rich history and symbolism of flowers in Korean art. Featured artists include Geum SaHong, Gwak YounJoo, Jung YoungMo, Kim Sook, Lee JongSong, Robert S. Lee, Michelle Oh, and Seo SooYoung

HWAA will be on view at 215 S. La Cienega Blvd. Suite 210 from May 31 to June 27, 2025. The opening reception for the exhibition will be held at the gallery on Saturday May 31, 2025 from 3-6 PM.

Flowers have long been a central motif in Korean art and literature, from the lotus flowers found in the ancient Goguryeo tomb murals to the eponymous azaleas invoked in “Jindallae Flower,” a seminal work of modern poetry. And although various flowers have held different meanings throughout history, a constant has been the association of flowers with beauty, especially beauty that is ephemeral in nature. As the final stanza of Kim SoWol’s “Mountain Flower” emphasizes (“산에는 꽃 지네 / 꽃이 지네/ 갈 봄 여름 없이/ 꽃이 지네” “Flowers wilt on a mountain / flowers wilt/ autumn spring summer regardless / flowers wilt”), flowers are beautiful because we know that they will pass.

Titled after the hanja character for flower, HWAA brings together in dialogue six Korean and Korean-American artists who incorporate florals into their works. The artists participating in this exhibition approach the subject of flowers from a wide range of perspective, from the theoretical— as in the case of Geum SaHong who uses the architecture of flowers to destabilize the assumed perspective of landscape painting— to the sentimental— as with Jung YoungMo for whom wild colorful blooms embody the wistful nostalgia for childhood.

As spring comes to a close, the exhibition HWAA encourages viewers to embrace the transient beauty of flowers and to consider the art that they inspire.