Hou’ Rf’s Leeway
In Untitled (2015), Huo Rf presents a constellation of heart-shaped clay forms—resting, pierced, and eerily still. Scattered across the gallery, these iconic shapes appear in various states: nestled atop a bed, riddled with nails, distorted and grotesque. Frozen in time, they evoke a quiet, visceral intensity. Formed mostly of clay, the hearts serve as vessels for the artist’s empathetic response to systemic violence—particularly state-led actions, exclusion, and the persistent marginalization of minority lives.
Images: Stills from Eyal Agivayev’s “Silver Tounge”.
The heart, often reduced to a sentimental cliché in the positivist era, where the intellect reigns supreme, is reactivated in Huo Rf’s practice as a site of deep emotional intelligence. It becomes a symbol of shared pain and radical sensitivity. Empathy, a central force in the artist’s work, allows him not only to reflect on collective trauma but to carve out a space for dialogue, recognition, and empowerment. In choosing not to remain in a passive state, he offers these powerful forms as invitations for others to feel, to grieve, and perhaps, to heal.
Huo Rf (b. 1988) is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans painting, sculpture, video, and the use of found materials. With a focus on identity, queerness, and collective resilience, his work quietly insists on intimacy and interconnectedness. Through recurring gestures of care and defiance, he challenges dominant narratives and creates space for alternative modes of being and remembering.
Untitled was exhibited as part of Leeway, curated by Barış Özçetin, at Versus Art Project, Istanbul, 2024.
All images: Leeway exhibition, installation view, 2024, Versus Art Project, Istanbul.
Text by Zehra Begüm Kışla @zehrabegumkisla
Learn more at www.huorf.com