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Miya Hannan / Academic Faculty Promotion and Tenure

Current Rank: Assistant Professor     
Date of Current Rank: July 2016 
College/Department: College of Liberal Arts / Art

Reserach Statement
CV
Studio Works
Projects
Exhibitions
Artist's Statement

Studio Works

(2016–Present)

2018–Present 

The current body of work is inspired by the process of burning. Burning, which appears in many Japanese rituals including cremation, changes physical forms to the transient. The Law of Conservation of Mass states that mass may change forms but can neither be created nor destroyed. Similarly, the dead stay with the living in the form of memory, story, knowledge, and genetic code. Every dead person exists around us in some way, creating layers of rich histories that enhance our lives. My work depicts my view of death as another form of being alive. 

Uncertain Certainty series

Beneath the Feet series 

Release of Memories 1 - 15

Layers to Grids 1 - 7

Ladder Series 

2016–2018

This body of work is inspired by cremation urns. In Japan, almost all people cremate their bodies, and urns are the destination of remains. When one's remains come from a crematorium, their relatives pick up the remains one by one with chopsticks and place them in an urn. This is an important ritual that provides relatives time to say goodbye. The shape of an urn reminds me of the body, and putting remains back into the shell of the body seems to me to be ritualistic, as well.   

The Story of the Sphenoid Bone

Ceramics, epoxy, bone ash, ash on paper;

12' x 32' x 22' (the size varies depending on space); 2017-18

Photo by Frances Melhop

This installation consists of three parts. On the floor, there are cremation urns within the field of bone ash. On the surface of the urns, human bones are attached, looking like coming out from or going into the urns. From the ceiling, many sphenoid bones, one of the skull bones shaped like a butterfly, are hung looking like they are flying. All the wall space in the room are covered with drawings. The drawing contains many sphenoid bone shapes burnt out from paper.    

Conversations 1 - 3

Forms 1 - 4

Urn Series 

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