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the house of happiness

The time of happiness

Lorin Delaire

“Thresholds of Silence” explores the quiet poetics of architectural geometry through a series of minimalist compositions. Each canvas isolates a moment of stillness—a wall, a shadow, a door—rendered in soft palettes and crisp lines. With a focus on light, absence, and negative space, this exhibition invites viewers to contemplate the tension between presence and emptiness, surface and depth. The paintings do not depict places as much as they evoke moods, inviting silence into the act of seeing.

Thresholds of Silence

Isla Brown

In "The Quiet Weight of Stillness", the viewer is invited into an intimate world where silence reverberates louder than words. This new body of work by British painter Clara Penrose meditates on the vulnerability of the resting face—those moments of unguarded stillness when the psyche floats freely beneath the surface.

Each canvas in the series presents a portrait cropped daringly close: a cheek pressed against an arm, eyelids soft with sleep, lips delicately parted, skin lit by strange, cinematic hues. The artist's deft brushwork lends the figures a tender tactility; we can almost feel the warmth of the skin, the weight of breath, the echo of dreams forming just beneath the flesh.

But these are not just portraits—they are psychological landscapes. The soft shadows that cradle each face also suggest depths of sorrow, desire, memory. There's a palpable tension between serenity and sadness, between repose and resistance. In one painting, the subject appears to surrender to exhaustion; in another, she seems to be listening to something internal and infinite.

Color, too, plays a vital role. Penrose’s use of luminous oranges, mauves, and midnight blues speaks not only to the physical experience of light but also to the emotional currents pulsing within the frame. Her palette evokes dusk and dawn—the in-between hours where dreams and consciousness blend.

This exhibition resists spectacle. Instead, it draws viewers into an introspective pace, inviting them to sit with quietude, with breath, with the fragility of presence. In an age of endless movement and exposure, "The Quiet Weight of Stillness" reminds us of the radical act of pausing—to see, to feel, and to simply be.

The Quiet Weight of Stillness

Oliver Smith

George Williams

In "Object, Interrupted", British sculptor Theo Hart presents a new series of hyper-minimalist, high-gloss forms that elegantly blur the boundary between sculpture and sensation. The works, monumental yet void of ornament, seduce with their polish and curve—reflections not only of light and space, but of the viewer’s own presence.

Hart's latest body of work is a meditation on material and perception. The sculptures are smooth, monolithic, and devoid of seams, often resembling closed loops or Möbius-like volumes frozen mid-transition. They resist literal interpretation, yet they feel profoundly animate—coiled, waiting, breathing in silence. One piece might evoke a reclining form; another, the mathematical purity of a continuous surface. Their ambiguity is not evasive, but invitational.

Executed in polished obsidian-black resin and carbonized steel, the surfaces are so reflective they verge on disappearing into their surroundings, like pools of shadow made solid. In a white-walled gallery, the contrast is arresting. The works seem to hover—not just physically, but conceptually—between object and void, function and futility, artifact and presence.

What is perhaps most striking about Hart’s sculptures is their refusal to “mean.” There is no narrative, no figuration, no didacticism. Instead, they invite a phenomenological experience: a slowing down, a circling, a reconsideration of spatial intuition. Their silence is absolute—but not empty.

The exhibition title, "Object, Interrupted," gestures toward the core tension in Hart’s practice: the interruption of pure form by the mind’s desire to define it. These are not objects to be understood; they are forms to be felt.

In a time of digital oversaturation and relentless symbolic overload, Theo Hart offers us something radical: the presence of a thing that simply is—irreducible, unnameable, complete.

Object, Interrupted

In "The Geometry of Whimsy", British visual artist B. Louis distills the essence of form, character, and emotion into strikingly minimal geometric expressions. Rendered almost exclusively in bold black and white, the works in this exhibition blend the precision of design with the charm of personality—each piece a study in visual economy, and yet brimming with quiet charisma.

At first glance, the sharp diagonals, crisp angles, and stark contrasts suggest a study in abstraction, perhaps a tribute to Constructivist or Bauhaus influences. But upon closer inspection, delightful surprises emerge. What appears to be a simple set of shapes suddenly resolves into the unmistakable silhouette of a cat—ears alert, one luminous eye aglow, body rendered in clean, angular lines. These aren’t just images; they are graphic haikus—succinct, refined, and layered with poetic resonance.

B. Louis is a master of omission. In a world saturated with detail and digital noise, their work champions subtraction. The artist plays with perception, reducing familiar subjects—often animals, objects, or human-like forms—to their barest visual language while never sacrificing recognition or charm. Each composition becomes a game of balance: between symmetry and asymmetry, motion and stillness, abstraction and figuration.

What’s particularly enchanting about this body of work is its refusal to explain itself. Titles are sparse or absent, and narrative is left open. In doing so, B. Louis places full trust in the viewer’s capacity for imagination. Is this cat staring into the void or guarding a secret? Is it alone or aware of our gaze? The answers shift with each glance.

Beyond their aesthetic appeal, these works provoke questions about communication and identity in contemporary visual culture. In an era obsessed with realism and hyperrepresentation, B. Louis chooses a different path—one of mystery, restraint, and elegance.

"The Geometry of Whimsy" is not just a visual exhibition, but an invitation: to slow down, to notice, and to rediscover joy in the simplicity of shape.

The Geometry of Whimsy

Nestled in the vibrant heart of Seoul, The Mirage Gallery stands as a beacon of Korea’s dynamic art landscape, effortlessly bridging the past with the future. 
Housed in a meticulously restored building that preserves traditional Korean architectural details while incorporating modern innovations, the gallery offers a distinctive setting that echoes the country’s rich cultural legacy. 

Its curated exhibitions showcase an eclectic blend of works—from delicate calligraphy and serene ink paintings to bold experimental installations and cutting-edge digital art. 
Each display is carefully designed to foster dialogue, inviting visitors to experience art on emotional, intellectual, and social levels. Regular interactive workshops, artist talks, and community events further define The Mirage Gallery as a thriving hub for creative exchange and cultural education. 

By harmonizing heritage with innovation, the gallery not only preserves Korea’s artistic traditions but also inspires a forward-thinking vision, encouraging audiences to reimagine the boundaries of contemporary art.

kim hyun sung 김현성

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