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Korean-born artist BK Ku, now based in the Blue Mountains, NSW, brings traditional Korean material practice into a contemporary context through his work at Local: Box Hill. Installed across the co-working and lounge spaces, the series is created using Hanji – a handmade paper crafted from mulberry fibres that has been central to Korean art and craft for centuries.
For this project, BK developed his colour palette in response to the building itself, referencing the decorative tones and architectural details within the interiors. Subtle shifts in colour and texture reflect these elements, creating works that feel closely connected to their surroundings while maintaining a quiet, abstract language.
This series marks BK’s largest and most ambitious body of work to date. Built through a slow process of tearing, layering and embedding Hanji into canvas, each piece carries a sense of accumulation – where material, time and gesture build into a layered surface.
The theme, Story, sits at the centre of BK’s work. Rather than being expressed through imagery, it unfolds through layers of paper, process and repetition. As light moves across the surface, these layers are gradually revealed, with tonal shifts and embedded fibres creating depth and variation that change throughout the day.
While grounded in traditional material, the works are contemporary in their abstraction. Their tactile quality invites closer looking, offering moments of stillness within shared spaces. Across the series, BK’s approach reflects an interest in how material can hold memory and meaning, allowing each work to reveal itself slowly over time.
Whether passing through the co-working area or spending time in the lounge, the works encourage a more attentive way of seeing – where detail, light and texture come into focus.
