Natural occurrences of rhythmic patterns, like ripples in water, river systems shaped by erosion, the layered forms of topographic maps, and the ephemeral behavior of light and its way of determining what is seen and what is hidden are central themes in Hannah Law’s practice. Her work draws from these structures that emerge when natural processes are left to unfold without interference.
She moves between mediums depending on the focus: her blind embossings are used to create delicate, river-like systems through repetitive mark making that rely on light, shadow and perspective to be fully seen. Her more recent wood carvings use Japanese hand tools and a sandblaster to explore how material responds to specific interferences. The process is slow, tactile, and often unpredictable.
From a distance, much of Law’s work appears minimal, sometimes almost monochromatic and opaque, but details reveal themselves through close, intimate, and sustained looking. Her practice resists immediacy, which feels significant in a time driven by speed and constant output. It is grounded in slowness, in noticing, and in returning again to look more closely.