“I first encountered Mother, a painting featured in the exhibition, in 2025 at Hahn’s studio at the Dallas Asian American Historical Society. It was unfinished at the time, and even then, without fully understanding what I was looking at, the work evoked a profound sense of tension and discomfort within me. The floating, surreal animal heads — regal, imposing, and menacing — had made a mark. It was not until I saw the work again months later and this time in its final form, that I realised I was looking at a family portrait. How could I have initially missed that? Nothing but family can hold that much tension without completely coming apart.

The painting features eight figures, each with a human body and an animal head, arranged shoulder-to-shoulder across three tightly compressed rows. The palette is saturated and volatile: reds, yellows, blues, and greens. The brushwork is frantic, energetic, and aggressive, with colors clashing violently against one another. In the foreground, a dog and an ox anchor the composition. Behind them sit a sheep and a horse. The top row is split into two pairings: a tiger with an ox, and a rat with a rooster. The figures wear human clothing: sweaters, jackets, military uniforms, a clergy shirt, and robe. Each head is anthropomorphic, bearing a distinct expression. Some guarded, some withdrawn, others alert — their hands on the shoulders of the figures below them, a gesture that signals equal parts care and control. Hahn is telling a deeply personal story here; one of accumulated hopes, disappointments, and traumas of generations past. Mother is a portrait of power and influence, but not the geopolitical kind. It is the quieter navigation of familial authority: Who leads? Who yields? Who bears responsibility? And who is collateral damage?” - Chukwudi Ukonne. Glasstire Review.