Sunkyung Baek

Sunkyung Baek is a painter whose work explores moments when familiar spaces fracture, both physically and psychologically. Focusing on homes, cars, rooms, and unstable architectural structures, she examines how spaces associated with shelter become sites of unease when destabilised. Her paintings inhabit points of transition, suspended between before and after, where the familiar turns subtly uncanny.

By removing elements that traditionally provide shelter or reassurance, Baek leaves behind traces and absences that suggest what should be there but is no longer. This “presence of absence” transforms space into a psychological landscape charged with latent tension. Rather than offering explanations, her work foregrounds sensation and invites viewers to navigate the image through their own perception.

In Baek’s practice, space is not a stable refuge but a fragile structure. Her work reflects a view of contemporary society that promises stability through freedom and choice, yet conceals an undercurrent of anxiety. Painting becomes a means of questioning what we call “home,” allowing unease to surface and remain unresolved.