Black Mat Oriole 검은자리 꾀꼬리

Black Mat Oriole marked Suki Seokyeong Kang’s first exhibition in the United States, presented at the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The exhibition brought together painting, sculpture, installation, and video, drawing inspiration from the traditional Korean musical notation Jeongganbo and the traditional court dance Chunaengmu (“Dance of the Spring Oriole”). Kang transformed the exhibition space into the grid structure of Jeongganbo. At the exhibition’s opening, she collaborated with a Korean choreographer to stage a performance, using the extension of the body to interact with the works. Through the performers’ movements, the piece explored contexts of power, cultural customs, and artistic lineages.

Black Mat Oriole showcased many of Kang’s representative works, including the Jeong, Mat, Legs, Heavy Round, and Warm Round series, as well as Moras on the Black Mat. Kang extends the notion of “painting” into multiple forms: these sculptures, installations, and paintings are created in corresponding proportions, enabling them to be stacked and arranged into movable towers, windows, and platforms.