Individual residencies / Andorra
HAN LE HAN
From Tuesday, 26 May 2026 to Friday, 19 June 2026
Bio
Han Le Han is an artist and researcher based in Berlin.
She studied fashion design, she holds a master’s degree in East Asian art history and has trained in ikebana, the Japanese art of floral arrangement. Her projects focus on aspects of botanical culture, and seek to explore and convey the existential value of flowers and other plants both within the arts and in a broader sociocultural context. By translating her ikebana practice into installation and scenographic formats, Han has presented works at Theater Neumarkt and Gessnerallee in Zurich, Arsenic Lausanne, Bühnen Bern, Theater Freiburg, as well as at the Maxim Gorki Theater and the Pop-Kultur Festival in Berlin.
In addition to her artistic practice, she has worked as a researcher and writer for numerous artistic and cultural institutions, including the Museum für Asiatische Kunst in Berlin, the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florence, and LEAP magazine in Beijing.
Project
Elegy I
During her stay at Faber Andorra, Han Le Han will create installations using materials found in the surroundings of the residency, inspired by poems by the Andorran writer Teresa Colom. Drawing on Colom’s texts and taking advantage of the accessibility of the natural environment in La Massana, the artist aims to explore the potential of ikebana as a practice capable of engaging in dialogue with a specific space and environment. The project, provisionally titled “Elegy I”—in reference to one of Colom’s poems that incorporates a floral motif—aims to develop into an exhibition and to assert the relevance of ikebana within contemporary art.
Ikebana and Poetic Research
During my stay in Andorra, I explored new installation-based approaches within my ikebana practice by working with materials gathered from the natural surroundings of the residency. I spent a lot of time walking along trails and through forests near my studio, observing and becoming familiar with the local flora. The studio provided by Faber Andorra offered ample space to collect and work with a wide range of materials from these walks, including large branches, rocks, and wildflowers.
The conceptual starting point for my project was the poetry of Andorran writer Teresa Colom. Several of her poems reflect on themes of impermanence through floral imagery, which resonated strongly with my artistic practice and led me to research the parallels between ikebana and poetry more broadly during my stay. Both are arts of omission and of shaping what is present into a rhythmic structure. One of the main outcomes of this research was the installation Roses, which I was pleased to present in the hall of the Ministry of Culture of Andorra. Beyond this specific work, the topic opened up new questions that I look forward to engaging with further.
The ikebana workshop at the Government Exhibition Hall was another joyful part of the residency. The participants had no previous experience with ikebana, but shared a curiosity about the art form and a willingness to experiment. At the end of the workshop, we looked at all the arrangements together, and it was rewarding to see the variety of outcomes and the participants’ satisfaction with what they had created.
In addition to these activities, I visited the exhibitions at the Escaldes-Engordany Art Centre and the Espai Caldes, and attended a saxophone concert in the Church of Santa Coloma during the ClassicAnd Festival.
My experience with Faber Andorra was warm and professionally enriching. The residency structure gave me the freedom to focus on my artistic questions while also connecting with the local cultural community. I especially appreciated Sandra’s support in organising the stay and offering practical suggestions throughout the process. Overall, it was a productive working period that allowed me to develop new work and a thematic direction, which I will continue to build on in future projects.
