kimsooja opens first solo show at tanya bonakdar gallery new york

pioneering artist returns to new york

Tanya Bonakdar Gallery presents Kimsooja‘s first solo exhibition with the gallery, marking her long-awaited return to New York for a solo show in nearly two decades. The show, titled ‘Meta-Painting,’ runs from April 12th to June 14th, 2024, and showcases a selection of the artist’s key works, including pieces from her ongoing series ‘To Breathe,’ ‘Bottari,’ ‘Deductive Object,’ and the titular ‘Meta-Painting.’

Kimsooja’s practice draws heavily on the concept of the bottari, a traditional Korean bundle used to store and transport belongings. The bottari becomes a central motif, both physically and metaphorically, representing not just essential possessions and a nomadic way of life, but also the universality of home, migration, and the concept of being in transition.

Kimsooja, To Breathe, 2024 | all images courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles

kimsooja transforms the gallery with light

This two-part iteration of Kimsooja’s ‘To Breathe’ extends the bottari concept throughout the New York gallery. Light takes center stage, transforming the space with various forms of illumination. Special films on the windows refract natural light, creating iridescent landscapes that shift throughout the day. Inside the main exhibition space, a mirrored platform reflects the gallery’s architecture, inviting viewers to engage with their surroundings and contemplate their own reflection. Colored light projected from above bathes the platform, creating an ever-changing tableau that explores the concept of painting with light and expands the traditional definition of the art form.

Kimsooja, To Breathe, 2024

painting and sculptural explorations

Upstairs, a series of Kimsooja’s new ‘Meta-Paintings’ hang suspended from the ceiling, accompanied by bundled forms reminiscent of the bottari. These works delve into the essence of painting and its origins. The linen used in the Meta-Paintings was spun from flax that Kimsooja herself planted, cultivated, and harvested. This process underscores the cyclical nature of creation, with the unpainted canvas embodying the connection between painting, agriculture, and textiles.

Kimsooja’s ‘Deductive Object’ is a wrapped, sculptural form that hints at birth and death. The ovoid shape draws inspiration from the Brahmanda stone, an Indian mythological symbol representing the origin of creation. Enveloped in deep black, the object absorbs light, while its mirrored base reflects the surrounding space, creating a sense of infinite depth. ‘Deductive Object: (Un)fold’ uses crumpled hanji, Korean rice paper, that retains the imprint of the artist’s hand. These works are displayed alongside a sculptural stack of 500 sheets of hanji titled ‘Meta-Painting,’ which takes nearly a year to dry into its final form.

Kimsooja, Deductive Object, 2016