What does American Sign Language look like as a sculpture?
In ASL, waving your palm downward within someone’s field of vision attracts attention to yourself while pointing draws attention to something else. The kinetic sculpture “ATTENTION” materializes these signs. As the arms constantly inflate and deflate, a rock at the center becomes a stand-in for the body, suggesting the wear and tear of our attention economy.
Experience the work on view in Christine Sun Kim, “All Day All Night.” Gallery admission is free every Thursday night and the first Saturday of the month.
Christine Sun Kim and Thomas Mader, “ATTENTION” (2022).
“ABC (Always Be Communicating)” zeichnet die kulturelle Entwicklung der Amerikanischen Gebärdensprache (ASL) nach – auf elf Monitoren in der Public Art München Passage.
„Warum gibt es nicht eine universelle Gebärdensprache?“ Diese Frage begegnet Christine Sun Kim so häufig, dass sie diesem Missverständnis in ihrer Zeichnung “Shit Hearing People Say To Me” (2019), einem Tortendiagramm, ein eigenes Stück gewidmet hat. Schließlich hat jede Gebärdensprache, genau wie jede gesprochene Sprache, ihre eigene gewachsene Entwicklungsgeschichte. Auch ASL ist keine isolierte Erfindung. Ihre Gebärden tragen vor allem Spuren der Französischen Gebärdensprache, aber auch anderer europäischer und indigener Gebärdensprachen sowie der alltäglichen Gestik Hörender.
Für “ABC (Always Be Communicating)” greifen Kim und Mader auf das etymologische Wörterbuch “A Historical and Etymological Dictionary of American Sign Language“ von Shaw und Delaporte (2015) zurück und visualisieren die sprachliche Wandlung von 26 heute verwendeten Gebärden, eine für jeden Buchstaben des Alphabets.
Dass Kim und Mader ausgerechnet die 30 Jahre alten SoftBank-Emojis verwenden, ist doppelt ironisch: Auch Emojis haben sich seither nach Bedarf und lokal unterschiedlich weiterentwickelt. Zugleich kommuniziert die hörende Welt seit drei Jahrzehnten mit ihnen zunehmend visuell und emotional unmittelbarer. Gebärdensprachen machen das seit Jahrhunderten.
@chrisunkim & @thomasmadertm
15. Mai - 31. Dez 2026
PASSAGE, Marienplatz 1 (Ecke Kaufingerstraße / Weinstraße)
Eröffnung: 15. Mai, 19 Uhr. In Deutsch, Englisch & DGS/ASL.
In Kooperation mit @gmu_muenchen
Foto: Yang Hao, 2024. Courtesy WHITE SPACE, Beijing.
#PublicArtMünchen #FocusYear2026 #ABC #AlwaysBeCommunicating #ASL
Join us Saturday, May 9 for Clockshop’s Kite Festival at Los Angeles State Historic Park from 2:00–6:00 PM. As part of Clockshop’s artist commissions, Christine Sun Kim (@chrisunkim ) and Thomas Mader (@thomasmadertm )(@signexact ) will unveil an inflatable sculpture, ‘The Weather,’ which will take flight during the event.
Commissioned by Clockshop, artists Christine Sun Kim and Thomas Mader present “The Weather,” an inflatable sculpture set to take flight during the event.
“The Weather” includes five inflatable elements—a tongue, a pointed finger, and three clouds—that visualize the American Sign Language phrase “finger to the wind,” meaning “let’s hope for the best.” The installation reflects the uncertainty of the political climate in the United States and the future of the park, while also offering a sense of hope and playfulness.
RSVP to Clockshop’s Kite Festival, and explore FAQs and transit information at the link in our bio or (clockshop.org). Admission is free. A suggested donation of $5–10 helps us keep it that way.
#ClockshopsKiteFestival
i had so much fun sharing my takes with @rachelrkolb for @believermag on gossip, hearies (aka hearing people), mentorship, and trauma - i will never shut up about this. the interview is online now. 🌀🌀🌀🌀
Tracing the path taken by her hand as the artist signs “all day” and “all night” in ASL, Christine Sun Kim translates the phrases into graphic form. Through shaped raw canvas in “All Day All Night” and drawn lines in “All. Day.” and its counterpart, “All. Night.” we can visualize the movement of the sun rising over the horizon and then dipping below it.
Throughout the exhibition, with works spanning drawing, sculpture, video, and installation, Kim challenges the assumption that spoken languages hold greater value than those that are signed.
Experience the work on view in Christine Sun Kim, “All Day All Night.” Admission is free every Thursday night and on the first Saturday of every month.
(1) Christine Sun Kim, “All Day All Night” (2023); (2) Christine Sun Kim, “All. Day.” (2012); (3) Christine Sun Kim, “All. Night.” (2012).
C👀L time with the (curatorial) guys in mpls! i keep on saying @walkerartcenter is a small ship but it is a really cruise sized ship. will post more soon! 🚢 jcpenney photoshoot by @kameron_herndon_photo
Christine Sun Kim’s first major museum survey draws on the dynamism of ASL to reshape notions of sound and communication.
Using musical notation, infographics, and text, Kim interrogates language and amplifies the possibilities of Deaf sonic experience.
Experience “All Day All Night” for free during Free Thursday Nights and Free First Saturdays.
Take a peek behind the scenes as we prepare for the opening of “Christine Sun Kim: All Day All Night.”
The mural “Ghost(ed) Notes” leads visitors into the exhibition. While referencing the musical phenomenon of “ghost notes,” notes that add rhythmic texture but have little sound, Kim uses modified staff lines contorted around the notes to suggest they’re being actively avoided, or “ghosted.” The mural reflects Kim’s experiences of being ghosted by people and institutions who refuse accommodations and ignore the needs of Deaf and disabled people.
“Christine Sun Kim: All Day All Night” opens Saturday.
