In her site-specific installations, Sun K. Kwak uses black masking tape to create sprawling freehand drawings that weave over the surfaces of architectural spaces. With her artistic interventions, Kwak attempts to adjust the inherent visual and emotional qualities of a space. Just as the “feel” of a room influences one’s mood or energy, Kwak’s installations can produce an effect on the viewer ranging from subtle and calming to startling and dramatic.
Korean-born and New York City–based, Kwak was formally trained as a painter. During her course of studies in New York, she arrived at her unique technique of working freehand with masking tape, drawing directly on the surfaces of architectural spaces such as stairwells; lobbies of public buildings; small galleries; and museum façades. Her installations create spaces and experiences that fall between drawing and sculpture: walking into her creation is like walking into a sheet of black line drawing. The scale of her drawings and the visual forms, which suggest directional force or even the push-and-pull of the ocean, are meant to alter the viewer’s visceral perception of the space.
Sun K. Kwak’s installation at the Brooklyn Museum was specifically created for this gallery. Following the process that she uses for all of her site-specific installations, the artist visited the Museum and spent time examining and documenting the space before executing the drawing. The title of the work, Enfolding 280 Hours, has dual significance. In one sense, it refers to the estimated number of hours spent on the project. In another sense, it suggests the process by which disparate energies inherent in the space are harnessed and synthesized by the centripetal force of horizontal lines racing in opposite directions around the gallery.
