Sungsook Hong Setton

 Sungsook Hong Setton: Artist Statement

My art is about vitality, simplicity, and guided spontaneity. Informed by Taoist philosophy, it bridges East and West, drawing from my art training in Europe, the US, and my native South Korea.

In my painting, which combines gestural abstraction with East Asian traditions of water-ink painting on paper (sumi-e) and calligraphy, I seek to engage the ideas of “living ink” and the interconnectedness of things, finding spiritual nutrition in the process. In doing so I seek to provide a meditative space for viewers to breathe and grow. I see my ongoing transition from representation to expressionism as a process of capturing the essence of my subjects. This represents a transition from existence (yu) to non-existence (mu), where empty spaces are as important as the brushstrokes themselves. 

Working with sensitive materials—the subtle Asian brush and thinnest of rice papers—is a double-edged sword: it offers no hiding place and yet allows me to create visual synergies that link nature with my inner spirit. The key to this process is rhythm, where each mark, spatter, or layered stroke on the page is responding to notes and rhythms I experience in my life. My abstract sumi-e is about the brush becoming an extension of my thoughts and feelings as well as an extension of my body in motion.