In this body of work, Suki Seokyeong Kang’s visual language is derived from jeongganbo, a grid-system of musical notation developed during the Joseon Dynasty. Kang takes the idea of the jeong, or one cell in a grid, and uses it as a metaphor for the place of an individual in society. This notion is further reinforced by her use of the hwamunseok, a reed mat used in a traditional Korean court dance, where a dancer performed within the space of the mat. Kang suggests that individuals, each comprising a note and a space, may come together to form a greater collective, like a complex piece of choreography or music. Her Mat series examines the restricted spaces afforded to individuals and the often constrained platforms available for personal expression.

Kang’s process and her visual language are rooted in a distinctly Korean artistic genealogy, separate from that of Western minimalism. To produce the hwamunseok mats, the artist collaborates with female craftswomen from Ganghwado, an island in the Yellow Sea that borders North Korea. These artisans weave using traditional methods. Kang has intentionally chosen to use locally sourced white reeds from this geographic meeting point between North Korea and South Korea. Differing ideologies, traditions, and materials are bound together to create a rich visual score that suggests the possibility of a collective consciousness rooted in individual action.