Korea Art Forum Presents the first 3 events out of 9 of the 2026 Shared Dialogue, Shared Space (SDSS) on Barton Ave in Murray Hill, Queens.
New York, May 12, 2026 — Korea Art Forum (KAF) invites you to the first three of nine public participatory events of the 2026 Shared Dialogue, Shared Space (SDSS) program. SDSS is an ongoing series of outdoor participatory art events held at accessible community hubs in immigrant neighborhoods around New York City. SDSS offers residents and visitors the unique opportunity to engage directly with artists and work with them to develop projects that address issues of language, identity, migration, conflict, and cultural production – key issues that define the experience of New Yorkers. These works culminate in an indoor exhibition and public art installations across New York City.
All three events will take place on Barton Avenue, near Murray Hill Station, on Saturday, May 23, 30, and June 6, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m, and feature Kelly Han, Sohhee Oh, Lucia Warck-Meister, and Mashiyat Zaman. Korea Art Forum and guest curator Ninad Pandit selected these artists through a city-wide open call and artist interviews.
Kelly Han will lead the creation of collective Kolam drawings, fostering collaborative creativity and welcoming energy. Community members will participate in making intricate ground drawings inspired by the South Indian Kolam tradition. Han has been practicing Kolam for several years and has taught it at various institutions. In this project, she brings it into a participatory context with residents across diverse communities. The strength of her work lies in renewing traditional practices within a contemporary art framework.
Sohhee Oh will guide participants in creating a collective puzzle painting. Participants draw and paint on puzzle-shaped boards, contributing to evolving imagery. They may continue visuals started by previous participants or introduce entirely new elements, intentionally disrupting and transforming existing visual narratives. This project builds on Oh’s experience leading participatory public art initiatives.
Lucia Warck-Meister will lead collective sculpture-making events, where participants cut and assemble cardboard to create mythological Ceibo (coral tree) flowers, contributing to a collaborative sculpture that explores immigrant experiences. Warck-Meister has previously developed this work as an indoor installation and led youth workshops based on it; she is now refining the piece and presenting it as an outdoor public artwork for the first time.
Mashiyat Zaman will install an interactive digital kiosk. Visitors engage with a digital virtual living room with bookshelves, reading reflections and suggestions left by previous participants, fostering intergenerational and intercultural dialogue. Zaman created a pilot version of the work in 2024, which he intends to expand in this project.
Each artwork evolves through direct community engagement. Ground drawings, collaborative sculptures, puzzle paintings, and digital installations reflect the accumulated contributions of many participants, highlighting the social and iterative nature of the projects. The public art installations function both as visual focal points in the neighborhoods and as ongoing platforms for community interaction and dialogue.
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Accommodations
We welcome requests for individual accommodations. ASL and other disability services are available with at least two weeks' notice. For assistance, please contact us at info@kafny.org or (347) 840-1142.
About Shared Dialogue, Shared Space (SDSS)
This flagship initiative of the Korea Art Forum proudly commissions artists to create a series of socially engaged, participatory art that culminates in public art installations in outdoor community hubs. The project focuses on serving (im)migrants, people with disabilities, and individuals facing economic hardship and limited access to art. Since its launch in 2020, SDSS has integrated art into daily city life, fostering dialogue between artists and the public while addressing various issues, such as anti-Asian sentiment, inequality, and climate justice. SDSS promotes collaboration, resilience, and social change, offering free, accessible, and immersive art events with live interpretation services. SDSS connects local communities to art, which enhances their overall quality of life and well-being.
About Korea Art Forum (KAF)
Founded in New York City in 2013, KAF is led by artists, scholars, and peacemakers committed to bridging the world through art. KAF supports artists' social engagement, enhancing people’s quality of life and well-being. We produce commissions, exhibitions, forums, publications, and art workshops to bring people together across the art world and beyond, fostering dialogues, building an interconnected world, and supporting inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA).
THANK YOU!
2026 Shared Dialogue, Shared Space (SDSS) in Murray Hill, Queens, is supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; the New York City Department of Transportation; the New York City Department of Small Business Services; and is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Additional funding is provided by the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families. We would like to extend our special thanks to our community partners, including South Bronx Unite, the Minkwon Center, the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, and NYC Council Members Sandra Ung and Julie Won for their support of KAF’s projects.
