Hwa Records is a collective of Korean diasporic artists and healers—Roger Kim, Saewon Oh, C. Ryu, and Kayla Tange—exploring hwa-byung (fire sickness), a folk syndrome where suppressed anger manifests in the body. While hwa-byung in South Korea occurs primarily in middle-age to older women suffering under a patriarchal society, in the diaspora it can be caused by displacement stresses such as racism and the pressures of navigating dual cultural identities.

The mission of Hwa Records is to create community space for diasporic Koreans to alleviate these stresses. Developed in response to the rise of anti-Asian violence and the lack of cultural frameworks for addressing emotional needs, Hwa Records creates a safe space for participants to process and release hwa, or suppressed anger and rage, through collective and creative practices. Through workshops and performances, they address racism, inherited trauma, and the lasting impact of the Korean War and Japanese imperialism. Their performances integrate meditation, storytelling, and musical play to release collective hwa, honoring and letting go of ancestral burdens.

Hwa Records has performed at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco, Blue Ribbon Garden at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and 41 Ross Gallery; and has received funding from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Studio for Creative Inquiry, Meantime x ICA SF, & Carnegie Mellon University.