Mirang Wonne interprets natural forms in unexpected mediums. She uses primarily synthetic materials that paradoxically amplify the organic intensity of those forms, capitalizing on their physical and optical peculiarities. In her recent screen work, Wonne “draws” on fine stainless steel mesh using a blowtorch. By transforming an industrial material, the artist achieves results that are unpredictably subtle and intimate.

After receiving her BFA and finishing MFA courses from Seoul National University, Wonne continued her studies in France where she earned her diploma in mural painting from the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Art Decoratifs in Paris, and her PhD in Esthetics from Universite de Paris, Sorbonne.

Mirang Wonne’s artwork has been collected and shown in private and public collections worldwide, including the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, University of San Francisco School of Law, the Ritz Carlton San Francisco, the Triton Museum, the de Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University, Kaiser Permanente of Santa Clara, Stanford Cancer Center South Bay, Stuart Collection at UC San Diego, Sungkok Museum in Seoul, South Korea and the Musee d’Art Moderne de Paris.

I hold a torch lit with flame and look at the surface of the stainless steel mesh. It is blank, but I see colors and reflections already there.

I start to draw with flame, as if I am doing calligraphy with sumi ink. The bright tip of the torch seems to be alive. The fire pulls me into its own universe. I am not sure whether I am holding the torch or whether the tip of the flame is holding me.

Fire is moving freely from the center to the edges or from top to bottom, making incredibly free lines. One by one, irregular lines form, overlapping one on top of the other, doubling existing lines and making burnt holes. I see giant petals moving along the breeze, disappearing into mist and fog, and then blooming again in the bright California sunlight. I hear the symphony of nature, of freedom and passion, of life.

To me, life is incredibly beautiful. In spite of our daily struggles and failures and sorrows, I still find the gift of nature to be eternally sweet.

-Mirang Wonne