Jinju Koo

Jinju Koo majored in Space Design at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea, where she graduated early with honors, and she received a master’s degree in Exhibition Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York in 2008.

Since then, she has worked in various design fields, such as space design, architectural lighting, and graphic design, all while teaching in universities at the same time. Her exploration of space in the fields of lighting design and architecture gradually led her to reflect on the nature of human life and the natural world, and she began to unravel the stories of space through her artwork. 

She recently completed a master's degree in Painting at the Royal College of Art in London.

Space, where our lives commence and persist, is the primary focus of my work. I became interested in space when I realized that, as humans, we constantly experience space and live our lives in it. Everything in our lives happens within spaces. We act upon spaces, and they act upon us in turn.   

Space exists sometimes dynamically and sometimes still, alongside changes in nature and human life. Space seems to be a fixed or stable thing, but it changes over time within the context of its surrounding environment. Natural light also changes over time, sometimes creating a space of delight, and sometimes a space of contemplation. The wind blowing through a space creates a rhythm, and the sound of nature fills the void.

I’ve been exploring these stories, quietly watching and listening to the dialogue created by the interaction of space with light, air, sound, and wind. The elements which fill a space constantly change and move within it, creating new relationships with each other over the passage of time. Numerous scenes that change from time to time accumulate in a space in the endless time that goes by. 

The passage of time breathes life into a space, and it begins to contain the stories of the lives that have passed through it. These are stories about patience and action, silence and echo, joy and sorrow. The story of creation and dissolution is endlessly repeated within a space, corresponding with human life. Space may appear empty, but it never is. Through my work, I hope to inspire people to reflect upon the dynamic, fluid, and profound nature of space.