Mario Merz Prize

Koo Jeong A

Koo Jeong A (Seul – Korea 1967) lives and works everywhere.

Since the early 1990s, Koo Jeong A has made works that are seemingly casual and commonplace, yet at the same time remarkably precise, deliberate, and considered. Her reflections on the senses and the body incorporate objects, still and moving images, audio elements, and aromas. Many of her works are conceived within site-specific environments that question the limits of fact and fiction, the imaginary and actuality of our world. She draws from a wide spectrum of concerns which she developed over the years. Ranging from human cognition, to the philosophy of Taoism, from the science of Qi, to the interaction of natural elements such as earth, fire, metal, water, and wood. She was named ‘2016 Artist of the Year’ by the Korean Cultural Centre UK. Current solo shows include: Koo Jeong A., Galerie Eva Presenhuber, New York (2020) and OooOoO, La Triennale di Milano, Milano (2019). Recent solo exhibitions and commissions include: ajeongkoo, Art Sonje Center, Seoul (2017); Enigma of Beginnings, Yuz Project Room at Yuz Museum, Shanghai (2016); Koo Jeong A x Wheelscape: Evertro, Everton Park, Liverpool (2015)