Sikyung Sung (b. 1991) is an emerging artist in the contemporary Korean art scene, recognized for his abstract paintings that feature dynamic drawings and bold color contrasts. Rather than depicting a specific form on canvas, his work explores a pure visual language through the repetitive rhythm of brushstrokes and the spontaneous traces they leave behind.

Sikyung Sung’s work begins with the act of capturing fleeting forms and thoughts on canvas. For him, the process of painting does not start with a predetermined shape or fixed unit; instead, it remains fluid, allowing for unpredictable interventions.

He embraces this open-ended approach because he believes that certain forms can only emerge from moments of uncertainty. Viewing preselected shapes as inherently limited, Sung seeks to bring forth undiscovered elements by navigating between imagination and the tangible visual structures already present on the canvas, creating a state in which the two continuously guide each other.

To achieve this, Sikyung Sung relies on the rectangular "frame" presented by the canvas, panel, or paper. For the artist, the frame is not merely a passive boundary but an active entity that continuously exerts influence throughout the composition process, engaging in a dynamic relationship with the internal pictorial elements. 

Sung also constructs a visual space that unfolds in sync with the passage of time. He assumes multiple painting spaces within a single canvas, introducing an irregular structure within its boundaries. These multiple layers within the canvas gradually expand their range or establish new relationships with other areas, creating a shifting dynamic.

By deviating from his initial expectations, the artist generates a sense of multidimensional displacement, allowing the composition to evolve beyond a singular, predetermined vision.

In the process of painting, Sikyung Sung uses masking tape to arbitrarily divide the canvas into multiple sections, seeking the initial cues for abstraction in their shapes and scales. Within the fragmented autonomy imposed by these divided spaces, he captures fleeting sensory and abstract thoughts through spontaneous brushstrokes. 

The intuitive choices made within the frame occasionally allow for the unconscious emergence of specific art historical references or conventional compositional techniques, subtly influencing the work.

In Sikyung Sung’s first solo exhibition, 《Exit Exit》 (2019), held at SHIFT and Art Space HYEONG, he showcased his ‘Multi-Frame Device’ series, which he had been developing since 2016, alongside experimental works that applied variations of his existing methodology. 

Curator Park Jungwoo, who organized the exhibition, observed that Sung’s approach—where pictorial movements extending beyond the frame are redirected inward by the canvas’s boundaries—resembles the architectural nature of a maze.

Within this enclosed maze-like space, the artist’s brushstrokes, despite their vitality, become static images. The speed embedded in the accumulated brushwork is either converted into new momentum for subsequent strokes or remains as a trace of past gestures.

Sikyung Sung’s early works can be seen as the result of focusing entirely on the act of spontaneously capturing fleeting forms without prior planning or prediction. However, as the artist became accustomed to the repetitive structuring of his compositions, he noticed a growing sense of inertia in his brushstrokes, gradually leading to a decrease in tension.

This realization led Sikyung Sung to develop a new perspective on the boundary between spontaneity and planning. According to his artist notes, he reflected, "For a long time, when painting or thinking and talking about painting, I perceived spontaneity and planning as if there were a rigid barrier between them. I believed that I had to choose one and follow a corresponding process."

Subsequently, the artist moved away from the "multi-frame device" he had devised to distinguish between planning and spontaneity, allowing himself to focus entirely on the movement of the brush and paint within the canvas. This shift led to the development of the ‘Zamboni’ series (2020–), which captures the fluid, gliding motion of brushstrokes. 
 
The term “Zamboni” refers to the ice resurfacing machine used to smooth the surface of an ice rink. Just as the machine gently refines the ice, Sung first covers the entire canvas with white oil paint, creating a soft, damp foundation before beginning to paint. The subsequent brushstrokes, applied while the background remains slightly wet, leave traces that resemble the streaks left by a Zamboni on the ice—imbued with a sense of speed, movement, and fluidity.

In his second solo exhibition, 《For a long time, All at sudden》 (2023) at d/p, Sung introduced a new modular mural work, Wet Wall (2023), which applied the techniques of his ‘Zamboni’ series. Imagining himself painting on a damp, absorbent white wall, he divided the composition into ten separate panels, each individually painted to fit the overall mural dimensions.

Without considering the full composition beforehand, Sung worked on each panel separately in his studio and later assembled them on-site in an improvised arrangement. The resulting Wet Wall, completed through short bursts of intuitive decisions and spontaneous combinations, reveals a layered interplay between structured planning and accumulated moments of immediacy.

Alongside this, Sung embarked on a body of work inspired by revisiting paintings he had paused long ago. Rather than viewing the halted time of these works as a rupture or interruption, he perceives it as a continuous and maturing process. 

Focusing on the transition between past thoughts and sudden new impulses, Sung aimed to capture these temporal shifts within a single canvas, redistributing elements across the composition. As previous choices intersect with spontaneous decisions, the resulting works embody the layered traces of time, encapsulating multiple temporalities within their surfaces.

Sikyung Sung's recent ‘Othello’ series consists of both structured patterns created through repetitive rules and spontaneous, intuitive drawings left entirely to chance. The title “Othello” is borrowed from the board game of the same name, in which black and white pieces continuously flip according to a set of rules on a green checkered board. 

Much like the game’s mechanics, Sung devised a painting approach where the placement and sequence of paint on the canvas dictate the constant reversal and transformation of lines and planes. Within this fluid interplay of dots, lines, and surfaces, his work unfolds in a flexible manner, revealing his unique abstract visual language.

In this way, Sikyung Sung has consistently presented paintings that prioritize the act of painting itself over the depiction of specific objects. The delicate balance between the structured patterns and spontaneous, intuitive drawings on his canvas hints at the intriguing possibilities of his future painterly experiments.

"It is necessary to move beyond a fixed axis where contrasting concepts like 'planning and spontaneity' exist at opposite ends. The terms 'long' and 'short' become more fluid when we add expressions like 'longer' or 'shorter,' allowing their positions to be continuously updated. I want to sense and articulate the act of painting more precisely within this relativity, much like the interplay between 'long and short.'” (Sikyung Sung, Artist's Note) 

Sikyung Sung holds a BFA from Hongik University, Seoul, and an MFA from the Seoul National University of Science and Technology. He had his solo exhibitions such as 《For a long time, All at sudden》 (d/p, Seoul, 2023), and 《Exit Exit》 (SHIFT, Art Space HYEONG, Seoul, 2019).

His recent group exhibitions include 《Unsentimental Education》 (BB&M, Seoul, 2024), 《DMZ Exhibition: Checkpoint》 (Camp Greaves, Paju, 2023), 《White Painting》 (Factory2, Seoul, 2023), 《Two Tu》 (P21, Whistle, Seoul, 2022), 《Light and Crystalline》 (ONE AND J. Gallery, Seoul, 2020), and more.

Currently, Sung is participating in the group exhibition 《Paper Matters》 at BB&M, running until April 30, where he presents new works centered on paper.

References

• BB&M, 성시경 (BB&M, Sikyung Sung)
• 공간형, Exit Exit 도록 (Art Space HYEONG, Exit Exit Catalogue)
• d/p, 오랫동안, 갑자기 (d/p, For a long time, All at sudden)
• DMZ OPEN 페스티벌, 2023 DMZ 전시: 체크포인트 (DMZ OPEN Festival, 2023 DMZ Exhibition: Checkpoint)