Reb Han creates art that experiments with perception (slideshow)

A new addition to our local art community, the artist known as Reb Han (aka Paul Rebhan) creates projects that explore and experiment with perception. A musician and author as well as a perceptual artist, he’s a transplant from New York City. There he shocked the art world in the 1990’s when he smuggled his artwork into The Museum of Modern Art where it hung for a couple of days.

His artwork is being shown for the first time in South Florida in the Art in Public Places group exhibit “Nocturnal Nuances” in Palm Beach International Airport. Make a point of going to see the show which began this week and runs until August 24, 2010. It  features local happenings that come to life after sunset. From downtown city scenes to serene moonlit moments, this exhibition highlights Palm Beach County after dark.

Reb Han’s piece in the exhibit, a large black and white  drawing entitled “Passion Bubble 1,” depicts two people locked in a passionate embrace. The image created by using a white pencil on black paper is a single line with no beginning or end. The line curves around hundreds of times, yet never crosses itself, resulting in a mesmerizing and hypnotic picture. 

Inspired by the aesthetics of haiku, Japanese rock gardens, and Rorschach tests, he invented a style he calls Orb painting, and Sanskrit inspired the works he calls Sutras. “Sutra is an ancient Sanskrit word that refers to the idea of a thread which ties all things in the universe together. These pieces are a visual representation of that concept.” He works in acrylic on canvas, pencil and paper, or ink on paper.

In addition to painting and drawing, he creates conceptual art. Using electronic sound with video, he synthesizes music and color to create compositions that stimulate calm, happy feelings. You can experience his work at Art After Dark in the Norton Museum on May13, 2010 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. when he will be presenting “Sound Paintings for Out of Body Experiences.” For now take a look at his Orb and Sutra drawings and paintings in the slide show below.

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***© 2010 all rights reserved Maxine Schreiber. The above articles may not be rewritten, copied, published, broadcast, or redistributed, wholly or in any part, without the express written permission of Maxine Schreiber.