Park Sungsu

Based in Seoul and Gyeonggi, artist Park Sungsu explores the quiet narratives of everyday life through oil painting and embroidery. Her works begin with a deeply personal lens—observing the emotions and moments that shape her daily life—but gently unfold into stories that resonate universally. Each piece starts with a simple yet profound question: What did I feel today? This daily inquiry becomes both a mirror and a window—a way to reflect on the self, and a means to observe the emotional world of others. Rather than delivering direct statements, her canvases allow viewers to pause in the emotional afterglow, inviting reflection over explanation. Park primarily works in oil on canvas, often incorporating fine hand-stitched embroidery into her compositions. The dense, tactile nature of oil paint—with its richness, weight, and the slow time it takes to dry—serves as a vessel for emotional depth. The embroidery, by contrast, introduces a quieter materiality. With threads stitched into the surface rather than painted on, the gesture becomes an act of engraving rather than covering—an echo of memory, presence, and care. Recurring figures—Momo the cat and Bingo the dog—appear throughout her works. These symbolic companions are more than mere characters; they embody dualities: self and other, feminine and masculine, solitude and companionship. They become protagonists in a shared narrative that reflects the fundamental human desire to be seen and to belong. For Park, making art is not just about crafting images—it is about holding space for emotion, witnessing the intangible, and engaging with the slow, tender process of being. Her paintings often hint, almost imperceptibly, at philosophical undertones: the nature of connection, the presence of the everyday, and the silent resilience of the self. These ideas are never imposed, but quietly suggested—leaving room for the viewer to find their own meaning. Her current work continues to chronicle the emotional rhythms of daily life, translating fleeting moments into visual narratives that are gentle yet deeply resonant. Rather than chasing a defined artistic destination, Park’s practice is grounded in a way of being—one that embraces stillness, intimacy, and the quiet joy of creation. In this rhythm, she finds her own definition of a life well lived: one that is open, generous, and deeply in tune with both self and others.