Melan + Hole

Melan + Hole is a mixed-media work that explores visibility, distortion, and identity through reflective surfaces and intimate representations of fragmented bodies. The title references the ancient Greek words Melan ('black’) and kholē (‘bile'), together the etymology of ‘melancholy.’ This psychologically charged painting teems with suspense, and when coupled with Hao's use of reflection and gesture, invites viewers to confront paradoxes of power and submission, discovery and manipulation, creation and destruction.