Jae Ko

Opera Gallery is pleased to present Changing Seasons, an exhibition of new work by Jae Ko.

In her first solo exhibition with Opera Gallery New York, Ko explores complexities between the natural and material world in relation to the passage of time. Ko’s intricately assembled sculptural works constructed with recycled paper and often pigmented with sumi ink, make visual reference to natural elements and metaphysical reference to the complexity of emotion and temperament.

“Ko’s work touches our emotions through suggestion or metaphor. Systematic structure and spontaneity, control and playfulness are interlocked.”

—Dr. Vesela Sretenovic, The Phillips Collection

Often resembling organic elements and biomorphic shapes, Ko’s oeuvre is in aesthetic contrast to the hard surfaces and geometric urban surroundings present during her formative years spent in Seoul and Tokyo during the latter half of the twentieth century. She then settled in the United States on Maryland’s eastern shore, where she has been based for the last twenty years.

Ko’s practice is rooted in sustainability while referencing the visual dialogue between architectural objects and topographical landscapes. Ko’s work ruminates on nature’s force and rhythm while suggesting its intrinsic link to the relentless passage of time. The textural cadence in her work reflects Ko’s process-driven, labor-intensive studio practice that transforms large quantities of flat sheets of paper into sculptural forms thrumming with vitality.

Though art historical influences ranging from the post-war Gutai movement to Post- Minimalism are present in her work, curator Kristen Hileman posited, “For Ko, the influence of nature is far greater than art history.” Referencing the writings of Donna Haraway, Hileman suggests a more critical view on anthropocentrism as a central tenet to the intellectual framework of Ko’s exhibition. Despite her engagement with academic theory, Ko’s practice leads with an instinctive perception of nature. Drawing inspiration from landscapes ranging from Southwestern bristlecone groves and deserts to glaciers in outlying regions of Canada, Ko’s works implore viewers to consider the levelling strength and delicacy of the natural world and our engagement and responsibility within it.

Born in 1961, Korean artist Jae Ko attended the Toyo Art School and received a BA from the Wako University in Japan and a MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, USA. In 2002, she received the prestigious Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant, followed by the esteemed Anonymous Was A Woman Award in 2012. Notably, Ko’s installation titled Force of Nature was showcased at The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. Her work has been included in renowned private and public collections, such as the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, The Phillips Collection, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, the John A. Wilson Building, and the ADM Investor Services in Chicago, among others. Ko lives and works in Maryland, USA.