Realized in a range of umbers and ochres, Bak’s 2021 Suspended Run depicts a man simultaneously in motion and tied to the trees that surround him. All at the same time, this figure, whose likeness is often referred to as “The Traveler” in the world of Bak, evokes purpose and determination, the effects of displacement, and entrapment and independence.
Despite being tied to surrounding trees, the figure’s dynamic position makes his purpose clear: he is to continue forward, no matter the obstacles – such as ropes tethering himself to the landscape. Following this train of thought, Bak’s drawing can be interpreted as a visualization of the often fruitless nature of attempting to escape Nazi persecution. Bak’s traveler can also be understood as a monument to the more than 250,000 displaced Jewish persons who, following the end of the Holocaust, were left without a home or family.
An additional way to view "Suspended Run" is to ponder the nature of the individual as he relates to the trees he’s tied to. Here, Bak has depicted his subject in the same color palette he has colored the environment in which he exists. This may suggest that this traveler has either broken free from and is departing his surroundings or that he is one with the forest he finds himself in and thus doomed to only roam within it, never escape it.
Lucy McGing (Guest Writer)
BAK a Day, November 11, 2023
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