Suki Seokyeong Kang

Suki Seokyeong Kang (강서경) is a visual artist based in Seoul, Korea. Kang's practice traverses painting, sculpture, performance, video and installation. Inspired by cultural traditions of Korea as well as contemporary artistic and literary discourses. Kang decodes rules and values that govern these disciplines, turning to artistic languages of the past to construct a contextual lens through which she explores the notion of individuality and freedom in the present moment.

Suki Seokyeong Kang
강서경
Kang in 2019
Born1977
Seoul, South Korea
NationalityKorean
EducationEwha Womans University, Seoul
Royal College of Art, London
Known forinstallation art
Awards2018 Baloise Art Prize

Life

Kang was born in Seoul, South Korea. She studied Oriental painting at Ewha Womans University and painting at the Royal College of Art, London. She is a professor of Korean painting at Ewha Womans University.

Work and themes

Kang's practice draws on her early training in traditional Korean painting. In her works, she espouses the philosophical disposition of Chosun-era painters, who aimed to convey their own observations and interpretations of history through poetry, writing, and visual art.

Kang's multimedia work often takes the form of immersive installations.[1] Her 2017 project Black Mat Oriole incorporates sculpture, painting, and video.[2] The colors of the objects in the installation are based on colors from her paintings.[1] The work also included performers who carry and arrange objects, and sit and drag their bodies on the floor.[3]

Kang's installations all include objects that are liftable by the artist and any performers, and have sizes and weights that are at most as large as a standard human body.[1][3] This technique has been a catalyst to convey themes relating to the subjects of her work. For example, the shape of the sculpture Grandmother Tower was inspired by the posture of her grandmother.[1] She has also incorporated traditional hand-woven reed mats that she had commissioned.[4][3]

Among the themes of Kang's work are the coming together of individuals,[4] and how they both form community and experience their own histories.[5] She is also inspired by classical Korean poetry and dance.[2] Her installation work explores concepts relating to grids and their aesthetics, and how objects are arranged within a room.[2][3] Her style has influence from Jeongganbo, a form of Korean musical notation.[5]

Kang has a studio in Seochon.[4] She paints a gouache painting every day as part of her work.[4]

Exhibition History

Selected solo and group exhibitions of Suki Seokyeong Kang include the 58th Venice Biennale (2019);[6][7] MUDAM Luxembourg (2019);[8] Seoul Museum of Art (2019);[5] Liverpool Biennial (2018);[9] 12th Shanghai Biennale (2018); San José Museum of Art (2018); Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia (2018); MAK Center for Art and Architecture, Los Angeles (2018); Gwangju Biennale (2018, 2016); Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul (2017); Villa Vassilieff, Paris (2016); National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon (2016); Audio Visual Pavilion, Seoul (2015); Seoul Museum of Art (2014); Gallery Factory, Seoul (2013); Old House, Seoul (2013); and Bloomberg New Contemporaries, London (2012). She is the recipient of the Baloise Art Prize (2018) and Songeun Art Award (2013).

In March 2022, Kang had two solo exhibitions at the Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art.[8] Her piece "Hear We Hear" is publicly displayed in Doha.[10]

Awards

Kang was a recipient of a 2018 Baloise Art Prize.[11] She was also shortlisted for the SongEun Art Award in 2013–2014.[12]

Collections

The work of Suki Seokyeong Kang is included in the permanent collections of Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; MMCA (National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art), Seoul; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul; Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton; MUDAM Luxembourg; Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul; Arario Museum, Seoul; Booth Collection-University of Chicago, Chicago; National Art Bank, Korea, among others.

Publications

  • Suki Seokyeong Kang (2019). Suki Seokyeong Kang: Black Mat Oriole. Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania & Roma Publications. p. 240. ISBN 978-94-92811-54-7.

References

  1. Jeppe Ugelvig (2018). "Interview with Artist Suki Seokyeong Kang". Pin-Up Magazine. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  2. "Suki Seokyeong Kang: Black Mat Oriole". Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania. 2018. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  3. Hunter, Bea Huff (2018). "Suki Seokyeong Kang: Institute of Contemporary Art". Artforum International: 233–234.
  4. HG Masters (March–April 2019). "Where I Work: Suki Seokyeong Kang". Artasiapacific. artasiapacific.com (112): 155–158.
  5. Caleb Mathern (July 10, 2019). "Suki Seokyeong Kang Reimagines the Korean Landscape by Turning Traditional Techniques on their Head". culturedmag.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  6. "Suki Seokyeong Kang (b. 1977)". La Biennale di Venezia. May 15, 2019. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  7. Woo-hyun, Shim (May 14, 2019). "Suki Seokyeong Kang continues experimenting with space at Venice Biennale". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  8. Yuma, Park (January 1, 2022). "[Weekender] What to expect in the Korean art scene next year". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  9. "Suki Seokyeong Kang". Liverpool Biennial. 2018. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  10. Alexandra Evangelista (May 17, 2023) [May 16, 2023]. "'Smile' sculpture unveiled at Doha Corniche celebrates positivity". The Peninsula. Archived from the original on May 18, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023. 'Smile' joins new public art pieces scattered across Doha such as the reflective sculpture 'Toub Toub Ya Bahar' by Salman Al-Malek, 'Gekrose' by Franz West, 'Hear We Hear' by Suki Seokyeong Kang, and more.
  11. "Suki Seokyeong Kang". Mudam. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  12. "The 13th SongEun ArtAward". akive.org. December 2013. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
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