New York-based artist’s 16-year independent art and research practice receives an Honorable Mention in Experience Design

New York-based conceptual artist and creative leader Sung Suh, founder of Frozenism, has received an Honorable Mention in the Experience Design category of Fast Company’s 2026 Innovation by Design Awards for Frozenism: Time Alive.

The recognition marks an important milestone in Frozenism’s 16-year evolution as an independent art and research practice exploring time, memory, transformation, the environment, and human experience.

Frozenism began in 2010 with Frozen, Sung’s MFA thesis at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Words, images, and objects were embedded in ice, transforming and disappearing as the material melted. Over the following 16 years, Sung expanded Frozenism across art, design, photography, research, performance, and public experience.

With Time Alive, ice becomes a medium for experiencing time and environmental change. Responding directly to temperature, time, and surrounding conditions, each work continuously transforms, creating an experience that unfolds in real time.

In 2026, Frozenism was presented at Art Central Hong Kong, where approximately 40,000 visitors from nearly 50 countries encountered the project over five days. The project later expanded into public spaces through one-day installations and performances at Times Square, Central Park, and South Ferry in New York, followed by a five-day installation and performance by the Han River in Seoul.

Sung Suh said, “Frozenism began with ice, but what I have been exploring all along is change.” He added, “Over 16 years, Frozen evolved into Frozenism, and the work evolved into an experience of time itself. Fast Company’s recognition in Experience Design marks an important moment in that journey.”

Sung is now expanding Frozenism toward Human Experience, exploring how physical, sensory, and time-based experiences can connect people with the environment and society.

Time Frozen. Experience Alive.
Ice melts. Frozenism evolves.

About Sung Suh / Frozenism

Sung Suh is a New York-based conceptual artist, creative leader, and founder of Frozenism, an interdisciplinary art and research practice exploring time, transformation, environment, and human experience.

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Over 16 years, Frozen evolved into Frozenism, and the work evolved into an experience of time itself. Fast Company’s recognition in Experience Design marks an important moment in that journey.