Closing Reception: “United By Design” VR Experience with CultureVerse

The Closing Reception for Mike Han: United by Design invites guests to experience an innovative virtual and digital exhibition by Mike Han in collaboration with CultureVerse featuring a virtual gallery made with SaganWorks, a virtual reality experience, and an AR sculpture in collaboration with BrandXR.

Debuted in 2022, “The House of Han from A to D” examines the physical and digital lives we live and the impact we have on our environment through an experiential diptych exhibition. Han’s work explores sustainability and our perceptions of value by creating digital and analog works of art that are separate yet deeply connected.

The CultureVerse mission is to serve the local and global community by expanding opportunities to access and experience projects, storytelling, and creative expression of artists, educators, students, and preservationists. We provide technology, training, consultation, and other resources in order to create equitable and sustainable opportunities. We aim to bridge the gap between creator and community so that all people may be enriched by the ever-expanding breadth of art and knowledge.

In his debut Detroit gallery exhibition, Mike Han: United by Design, (9/2- 9/30) Han showcases his creative practice working across disciplines inspired by his Korean heritage, graffiti, and modern design.

“In this exhibition, I’m proud to introduce The House of Han as a sustainable lifestyle brand. I think so much about how in order to create, you must destroy. How can I add value to people’s lives without harming the environment? These challenges posed in my art I seek to address with The House of Han as a product brand, creating sustainably at scale to enrich everyday life.”

The exhibit debuts various design collaborations including 3D printed tables with Haddy, a rug collection with Gardner-White Furniture, and new modular wall art system developed with Leon Speakers. He will also exhibit recent collaborations with SEE Eyewear, CultureVerse, and Detroitissimi.

“United by Design is a showcase of my collaborations ranging from fashion to furniture, presenting work that has been sold nationwide, showcased abroad in Italy, and features a new series of Modern Vandalism paintings made on salvaged blueprints from famed Detroit architects Albert Kahn and Minoru Yamasaki.

ABOUT MIKE HAN

Mike Han is a Detroit-based artist and designer. His work is a meditative practice that seeks to develop a better understanding of self and identity while connecting deeper with people and the planet. Han strives to find dynamic balance through organic yet deliberate mark-making on carefully considered materials to explore his heritage and contemplate sustainability.

Han was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan to Korean immigrants. Mike is a Cheongju Han, referred to as “House of Han,” a Korean family with royal ancestry. The House of Han is his body of work, home in Detroit, and is now launched as a sustainable lifestyle brand.

Image credit: CJ Benniger.

SPONSORED BY

Special thank you to Presenting Sponsor Gardner White. This activity is supported in part by an award from the Michigan Arts & Culture Council and the NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS.

ABOUT DETROIT MONTH OF DESIGN

Detroit Month of Design returns for its 13th edition September 1-30 and continues to explore the theme “United by Design” because it is too complex and important given current events. The festival was established in 2011 to connect creatives, introduce them to new markets and consumers, expose Detroit’s design aesthetic to worldwide audiences, and highlight the reason why Detroit is the first and only UNESCO City of Design in the United States.

Taking place throughout the City of Detroit and online, the festival features a balanced combination of virtual, outdoor, and indoor experiences. Key program elements include a mix of sponsored, independently produced, and Design Core signature events that range from exhibitions, installations, product launches, lectures, panel discussions, tours, workshops, and more. Detroit Month of Design is produced by Design Core Detroit, an economic development non-profit organization housed within the College for Creative Studies.