Personal experiences that leave a sensory impression on me—such as books, movies, music, philosophy, religion, or new emotions felt from the birth of my daughter—converge at the intersection with myself to become the motif of my work.
Kukwon Woo
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Kukwon Woo reaches across time, genre and philosophy in a satirical culture clash.
‘Valley of the Shadow of Death’ combines two popular metaphors for the battle between good and evil. The first is from Psalm 23, a biblical prayer for comfort and strength in the face of evil. The second is from the Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back, the science-fiction blockbuster. Woo reimagines Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader’s infamous duel on Cloud City on earthly terrain.
The duellers appear miniscule on a high mountain bridge, each wielding lightsabers like crosses at the head of a procession. Viewed in perspective, their grand battle appears inconsequential – like a game of dress up. However, Woo’s scrawled prayer reintroduces existential fears passed down through millenia.
Our textured print edition is based on an original painting by Woo, which in turn was inspired by Japanese Ukiyo-e prints.
Kukwon Woo7 collaborationsKukwon Woo journeys through a world full of paradoxes drawing inspiration from every encounter. He synthesises these experiences into neo-expressionist paintings full of wit and wonder. He often paints children on heroic adventures or battling everyday tasks, accompanied by animal sidekicks and fairytale friends. These images are juxtaposed with text that ranges from comedic to philosophical. The result is sometimes absurd, like a pony reading decolonial theorist Franz Fanon (I Hate Mornings, 2020). Although he’s fluent in irony, his goal is to recreate the pure expression of a child “truly immersed in a moment – happiness, joy, anger, hate, jealousy, envy, weakness.”
To get closer to pure expression, Woo unlearned the habit of writing neatly. His messy script frames many of his canvases with phrases like “a baby is God’s opinion that life should go on” (Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love your tomorrow, 2021). At face-value, it expresses Woo’s excitement as a then father-to-be. However, the words betray their writer’s awareness of life cycles and religion, and therefore mortality and morality. While works like Rainbow is Illusion (2022) are overtly cynical, the lurking existential dread is always softened by the pastel colours and rag-doll texture of Woo’s painting. Like all good fabulists, he excels at the gentle push and pull between knowledge and innocence.
To get closer to pure expression, Woo unlearned the habit of writing neatly. His messy script frames many of his canvases with phrases like “a baby is God’s opinion that life should go on” (Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love your tomorrow, 2021). At face-value, it expresses Woo’s excitement as a then father-to-be. However, the words betray their writer’s awareness of life cycles and religion, and therefore mortality and morality. While works like Rainbow is Illusion (2022) are overtly cynical, the lurking existential dread is always softened by the pastel colours and rag-doll texture of Woo’s painting. Like all good fabulists, he excels at the gentle push and pull between knowledge and innocence.
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