zoom
R adar
Packaging
I ts e lf ë
he’ll photograph the pieces, then
play with virtual shapes on his
computer. Finally he’ll execute
elements in molten glass and
glue them together in abstract
compositions that range from
single freestanding sculptures
to wall installations consisting
of
any number of smaller, indi-
vidual pieces. Color is key to
his reimagining of standard-issue
white Styrofoam: Kim’s glass is
saturated with vivid hues, from
jade green to fiery red, such as
Rediscovery 08052Q,
and an as-
tonishing spectrum of blue, in-
cluding
Rediscovery odoyfi,
“a
special color in my life.” Using
technical expertise, he varies
the transparency of the glass,
creating murky depths that play
with light.
“Glass is a special material for
me, because I can see the object
and see through the object,” he
says. “I want to see what’s going
on inside.” One sculpture,
Re-
discovery opo2j,
is a particularly
explicit declaration of Kim’s
interest in dimensions and lay-
ers, both physical and meta-
phorical. To his delight, even
his young son picked up on
it, observing, “It’s like a
window!”—
j
. l
.
sungsookimglass.com
we all toss without thinking
twice. Often he can’t even tell
what the packaging originally
contained. Yet these mysterious
forms are still somehow deeply
familiar to any consumer, as is
that unmistakable bumpy sur-
face texture he deliberately pre-
serves in his glass pieces: “I want
people to make that connection.”
A graduate of the glass pro-
gram at Kookmin University
in Seoul, Kim, 34, came to the
u.s. in 2006 to study at Pilchuck
Glass School, earned his M
f a
at
Kent State University in 2008,
and is currently an adjunct fac-
ulty member at the Cleveland
Institute of Art. He has earned
critical acclaim and a number of
awards, including Best in Show
in the recent exhibition “ BIGG:
Breakthrough Ideas in Global
Glass,” sponsored by Steuben.
By now, Kim says, people
know about his fascination with
Styrofoam and are always bring-
ing him their finds. He regularly
checks dumpsters to add to his
collection (he never buys an
item just for the packaging, in-
sisting on trash only). Usually
A few years ago, Sungsoo Kim
happened upon some chunks
of Styrofoam that had encased
a new MacBook laptop and did
a double take. He found himself
entranced by the shapes, at once
ancient and futuristic. “They
were really beautiful,” recalls
the Korean-born glass artist,
who now lives in Cleveland,
OH. “ I just said,
IVowF
That epiphany has led to a
rich, evolving series of kiln-cast
glass sculptures entitled
Redis-
covery,
in which Kim explores,
challenges and redefines no-
tions of art, beauty and value.
To make his molds, he uses dis-
carded Styrofoam packaging,
an industrial material whose
express purpose is to protect
goods in transit, after which
it instantly becomes garbage.
By recycling it into glass art—
a high-value commodity-Kim
seeks to reveal its hidden aes-
thetic worth, creating a new
context for an everyday object
much as Duchamp did with his
readymades a century ago.
Kim finds endless variety
and inspiration in the Styrofoam
014 amcrican craft feb/mario
www.journal-plaza.net & www.freedowns.net
CA / Los Angeles
Autry National Center
The Art o f Native American
Basketry:
/1
Living Tradition
to May 30
autrynationalcenter.org
Representing 11 regions and
more than 100 cultural groups,
over 250 objects from the col-
lection are revealed to the pub-
lic for the first time.
CA / San Francisco
Braunstein / Quay Gallery
Richard Shaw
Mar. 18-Apr. 17
bquayartgallery.com
Alternately whimsical and
disturbing, Shaw’s porcelain
trompe l’oeil sculptures mimic
our everyday surroundings
with astounding realism.
DC /Washington
Textile Museum
Fabrics o f Feather and Steel:
The Innovation ofNuno
to Apr. 11
textilemuseum.org
A Japanese cutting-edge design
company, Nuno creates intrigu-
ing textiles from rusty iron,
quills and old clothes.
© F L / West Palm Beach
Palm Beach County Conven-
tion Center
Palm Beach Fine Craft Show
Mar. 5-7
craftsamericashows.com/
PALM main.htm
High quality and ambiance
characterize this juried show
of masterfully crafted pieces
by over 100 distinguished artists,
including Akiko Sugiyama’s
paper sculpture
^tojreduced.
