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Kimsooja's 'Sowing into Painting' at Wanås Konst explores fabric, migration, and everyday life through A Laundry Field.

exhibition · 2026-04-20

Korean artist Kimsooja's exhibition, 'Sowing into Painting,' is currently on display at Wanås Konst in Sweden, running until 1 November. Among the highlights is the 2020 installation A Laundry Field, featuring 100 white bedsheets suspended in a forest close to Malmö, which delves into themes of hygiene, tradition, and renewal. This work resonates with her previous projects, including Mumbai: A Laundry Field (2007–08) and her bottari pieces, initiated during a residency at moma ps1 in 1992. Significant works also include Cities on the Move – 2727 Kilometers Bottari Truck (1997) and To Breathe: A Mirror Woman (2006). Her ongoing Thread Routes series (2010–) investigates global textile cultures, while A Needle Woman (1999–2001) reflects on individuality in urban life, blending art with everyday experiences.

Key facts

  • Kimsooja's exhibition 'Sowing into Painting' is on view at Wanås Konst in Sweden until 1 November
  • The installation A Laundry Field (2020) features 100 white bedsheets hung in a forest near Malmö
  • Kimsooja uses bottari, traditional Korean cloth bundles, to explore themes of migration and domestic labor
  • Her work includes the Thread Routes video series (2010–) examining global textile cultures
  • Kimsooja had a residency at moma ps1 in New York in 1992, influencing her bottari installations
  • The A Needle Woman series (1999–2001) shows the artist standing still in busy cities like Shanghai and Delhi
  • Kimsooja cites Zen Buddhist concepts and the influence of mystic Kabir in her practice
  • The exhibition includes flax planting for canvas production, linking art to natural processes

Entities

Artists

  • Kimsooja
  • Danwon
  • Kabir
  • Elias Canetti
  • Susan Sollins

Institutions

  • Wanås Konst
  • moma ps1
  • Crystal Palace
  • Artreview

Locations

  • Sweden
  • Malmö
  • Denmark
  • New York
  • Madrid
  • Bruges
  • Peru
  • India
  • China
  • Morocco
  • South Korea
  • Shanghai
  • Tokyo
  • Mexico City
  • Delhi
  • London
  • Korea
  • Maharashtra

Sources