Sun Park \ snake draws in then, reaches out to strike, takes me out down to, & our river of life
About the Artwork
In this interactive installation, artist Sun Park prompts viewers to meditate on the spiritual symbolism of snakes, and the multiple roles they play in different sociocultural environments. Park considers the snake in the context of their own diasporic journey, having shifted from a religion greatly informed by Christianity to incorporating other indigenous spiritual forms.
For Park’s multimedia installation, snake draws in …, they were greatly informed by their research of Four Pillars of Destiny, astrological systems found in East, South East, and Central Asia. In this system, 2025 is the year of the yin wood snake. The snake, which once held singular meaning in the Christian context, transforms into a hybrid being that encompasses new, dynamic attributes, suited to whatever environment it is in. As these various environments change, the snake does as well, exemplified by the reflective qualities of the snake labyrinth on the floor, which adapts depending on who gazes into it. This shifting image parallels the evolution and transitions within Park’s own experiences with religion, their cultural heritage and diasporic experiences via assimilation and adaptation in America.
Park considers the snake as a guide towards their ancestral spirituality and Asian diasporic journey. As such, viewers are invited to follow the snake walkway–a route formed by negative space, which symbolizes the mystical “nothingness” of the snake. Viewers can walk through the vinyl labyrinth path or trace the wooden labyrinth on the pedestal with their finger.
About Sun
Sun Park is a visual artist and writer based in San Francisco. Sensory overload, disassociation, collective effervescence, stimming: Park responds to bodily sensations that signal the connection between internal and external environments, the porous boundaries where identity is formed and altered. Park’s work is informed by their experiences with the white Protestant church, Korean shamanism, and Bay Area landscapes, which they syncretize into an embodied spirituality. Their practice is hybrid, ranging from multisensory installation to ceramics, drawing, sculpture, video, and interactive ritual.
Park holds an MFA from SFSU, was a Mentorship and Exhibition Fellow with SFAC Main Gallery, a fellow with Kearny Street Workshop's Interdisciplinary Writer's Lab, and has presented work at /room/ (slash gallery), 41 Ross, Aggregate Space, Southern Exposure, Root Division, hub, and Alternate Space LOOP, among others. Lately, Park has been performing standup.