For the artist Koak, the female form serves as a physiological vessel, with sinuous figures being the focal point of richly pigmented canvases. Her work often features bodies drenched in shadow or illuminated by lamplight, surrounded by domestic objects like vases, curtains, and armchairs.
These bodies are informed by the language of cartoons, particularly Disney’s animation cells. Koak’s training in comics, where she earned an MFA, has honed her clarity of line and understanding of narrative symbolism in everyday objects.
Koak’s Studio and Creative Process
Koak has inhabited a large studio in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood for the past four years. The studio is filled with sketches, canvases, and sculptures, showcasing her creative process. She begins her work by drawing, often in a zoned-off area of the studio.
Koak says she rarely paints actual portraits. The body is the container that feels most effective to her in talking about emotional interiority and therefore connecting with other people. Her inner psyche is reflected in the dense montage of sketches on the surrounding walls.
Koak’s process involves scaling up images using projectors and amplifying lines to achieve the right emotional tone. She makes painstaking amendments to slowly nudge her towards a final composition. Traces of her process can be found beyond the walls, including lumps of chalk from the Seven Sisters cliffs and sculptures made during workshops.
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Figurative and Three-Dimensional Works
Beyond her figurative works, Koak has built three-dimensional pieces, such as a stunning folding screen made from walnut. The screen features drawings suspended within see-through panels and sits in front of a print room where she produces limited editions using a risograph.
Koak’s collaboration with her husband and studio manager, Kevin, and her assistants, allows her to keep multiple aspects of her creativity running simultaneously. They also provide day-to-day discipline, which is helpful given her tendency to work extremely long hours when preparing for a show.
Her compulsion to draw, which began as a child, means that even after a 16-hour day, she might take sheets home to continue drafting and amending compositions. Koak’s dream is to have both home and studio in immediate proximity, but she has been happy working from her bed or using a suitcase to stash her drawings and be entirely itinerant.
Upcoming Show and Future Plans
Koak is working on an upcoming show at Jessica Silverman, opening in March 2027. She has had a solo exhibition at Charleston in Lewes and featured in recent presentations at fairs such as Frieze, the Armory, and Art Basel. With her star on the ascent, Koak’s studio in San Francisco continues to be a hub of creative activity.
