Check Out Mike Han’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Han

Hi Mike, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I first came out LA for art school about 17 years ago. I dropped out after a semester and a half, and got a job making sushi at Katsuya to open their location at the brand new Americana in Glendale. I moved back to Detroit (where I’m from) after a year or so and bounced around from there making sushi in Chicago, Denver, NYC, and Miami. In the spring of 2020 I was about to open a sustainable omakase sushi concept and then the pandemic hit, cancelling my dream of expressing my art through food, paintings, and design.

I was unemployed for 6 months and then got a commission to make a mural out of the blue just as my savings were running out. I had been painting for over a decade at that point, but couldn’t make a living doing it. I was going to get evicted doing nothing so without any real consequence, I decided to lean into my art practice and put all my energy into making and selling my artwork.

5 years later, I’ve moved back to LA from Detroit after building a successful fine art practice without being represented by a major gallery. I still do a lot of projects in Detroit, but have expanded my practice and have just settled into a gorgeous live/work space in Hollywood.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not!
I’m not sure any artist/creative has ever had a smooth ride. But that’s what makes good things so good. I’ve tried and failed so many times in my life, and at times it feels like I’m a crazy person for getting back up. I’ve wanted to quit and stay down so many times. But I can’t get out of my DNA, and I’m compelled to be an artist/creative no matter how painful the journey.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My signature line work is an expression of who I am. It’s always made organically yet deliberately. Each mark is made with intention, and is essential. I create in a way to find what I like to call “dynamic balance”.

I had the great privilege of living on the East Coast when I was young, and Keith Haring was my first inspiration. I got to experience his Pop Shop in the late 80s and was instantly drawn to his work and NYC graffiti. I also fell in love with sushi there, and later learned my deep admiration of modern design and architecture also came from New York as my dad worked for Knoll at the time.

I used to paint/draw a lot more figurative, and by that I mean draw cartoons and characters. But in the past 10 years or so my character drawns have become more abstract. Figurative characters, have organically found themselves colliding with Asian calligraphy to form what is now my distinct visual language.

My work lives at the intersection between graffiti and Korean calligraphy, art and design, creation and consumption.

It is the balance of everything and nothing, black and white, and I’m beginning to explore all the in-between.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I try not to think about the art world. I’ve tried to leave IG so, so, many times but as an independent artist I can’t deny it’s usefulness. I’m about to come off my longest IG abstinence of 1 year. Social media is an awful place for my brain, and external influence is really difficult for me to block out. My practice is deeply inward and introspective, so it’s important for me to block out noise, but that’s also extremely isolating which isn’t healthy either.

So one of my biggest tasks this year is to figure out how to use IG without falling apart mentally when I do start up again.

The obvious benefit of social media is that it is putting power and reach into the hands of those who haven’t had it. Today, success doesn’t require some rich person/gallery to unlock the gate for you to make a living with your work. I hope artists continue to be empowered by the tools technology presents so that they might add their beauty to the world and reap the financial rewards instead of the lions share going to some gate keeper.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mikehan.art
• Instagram: @mikehan.art

Image Credits
CJ Benninger
Mary Wysocki
Ryan Southen
Leon Speakers
American Cancer Society