Kimsooja at Wanås Konst, Sweden

Sowing Into Painting, 9 May - 1 Nov 2020

Kimsooja, Planting Project, Sowing Into Painting

The Wanås Foundation presents a major exhibition by artist Kimsooja that includes site-specific installations, sculptures, films and paintings, spreading across the galleries and the surrounding grounds.

Kimsooja, A Laundry Field, 2020

Kimsooja, 'A Laundry Field', 2020, Wanås Konst, photo Mattias Givell, courtesy of Kimsooja Studio

Kimsooja, 'Meta-Painting', 2020

Kimsooja, 'Meta-Painting', 2020, Wanås Konst, photo Mattias Givell, courtesy of Kimsooja Studio

Kimsooja, Thread Routes – Chapter l, 2010,

Kimsooja, 'Thread Routes – Chapter l', 2010, Photo Mattias Givell, courtesy of Kimsooja Studio

Kimsooja's education as a painter led her to redefine the surface of the canvas. She replaced the traditional background by fabrics that gradually translated into three dimensional works, further exploring the woven structure and the crafts associated with sewing through series of work such as 'Bottari' and 'Laundry Woman', also present in the exhibition.

Kimsooja, Planting Project, Flax Pulling, Sowing Into Painting

Kimsooja, Planting Project, Flax Pulling, Sowing Into Painting, Wanås Konst, photo Mattias Givell

Interweaving with the surrounding nature, the exhibition becomes a space for stillness and introspection. At its core is a planting project in which some of the artist's main interests are united. Flax is cultivated on site creating a conceptual link between agriculture, textiles and painting.

Kimsooja, Planting Project, Sowing Into Painting

Kimsooja, Planting Project, Sowing Into Painting, Wanås Konst, photo Elin Magnusson

Kimsooja, Flax Workshop, Sowing Into Painting

Kimsooja, Flax Workshop, Sowing Into Painting, Wanås Konst, photo Alex Fisher

Kimsooja, Flax Workshop, Sowing Into Painting

Kimsooja, Flax Workshop, Sowing Into Painting, Wanås Konst, photo Alex Fisher

Kimsooja, Flax Workshop, Sowing Into Painting

Kimsooja, Flax Workshop, Sowing Into Painting, Wanås Konst, photo Alex Fisher

These plants, which are grown and cultivated in a period of several months, will be transformed into paintings that could last for centuries. As well as a physical source of materials for painting, the field becomes a fluid tableau, covering the ground, in a pattern akin to a weaving in the earth.

- Kimsooja

For more information visit the Wanås Konst's website.