Jae Ko
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.
Jae Ko creates a unique visual language using elegant spirals and ribbon installations that can reach monumental proportions. She draws inspiration from nature, and her forms often resemble organic elements such as tree rings, tornadoes, roots, branches, or seeds. Her creative process was initially inspired by trees, as she began using sumi ink, a calligraphy ink made from burned wood, which she combined with paper, drawing from a common source of materials.
The intuitive design of each of Ko's sculptures are made from seemingly endless amounts of everyday office, recycled paper or adding machine tapes, which she unwinds and reshapes, bathes in vats of ink and then leaves them to dry out over months. Her captivating sculptures blur the line between writing and sculpting, taking on a biomorphic shape that resembles a swollen calligraphic mark. She may incorporate colour into her pieces, drawing inspiration from the vibrant primary colours found in traditional Korean settings. Jae Ko notes that as her environment changes, her sources of inspiration continuously evolve to include influences from the Western world. She has related her work to bristlecone pine trees that are bent into shapes by the wind, yet still alive. These trees are present in the American West, which adds to her sources of inspiration that infuse into her work.
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 Force of Nature was showcased at The Phillips Collection in Washington, USA. Her work has been included in renowned private and public collections, such as the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, USA, The Phillips Collection, Washington, USA, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, USA, ADM, Chicago, USA, amongst others.
Jae Ko lives and works in Maryland, USA.
SELECTED WORKS
Jae Ko, JK1007 Ultramarine Blue, 2019
Rolled paper, colored ink and glue
71 x 79 x 16 cm | 28 x 31.1 x 6.3 in
Jae Ko, JK454 Wine Carmine with Orange, 2018
Rolled paper, colored ink and glue
38 x 51 x 13 cm | 15 x 20.1 x 5.1 in
Jae Ko, JK466 Blue with Pink, 2018
Rolled paper, colored ink and glue
64 x 38 x 16 cm | 25.2 x 15 x 6.3 in
Jae Ko, JK715 Black, 2017
Rolled paper, colored ink and glue
114 x 35 x 25 cm | 44.9 x 13.8 x 9.8 in
Jae Ko, JK1042 Ultramarine Blue, 2012
Rolled paper, colored ink and glue
68 x 98 x 15 cm | 26.8 x 38.6 x 5.9 in
Jae Ko, JK1039 Ultramarine Blue with Sky Blue, 2010
Rolled paper, colored ink and glue
58 x 109 x 12 cm | 22.8 x 42.9 x 4.7 in
Jae Ko, JK448 Wine Carmine with White, 2017
Rolled paper, colored ink and glue
112 x 48 x 13 cm | 44.1 x 18.9 x 5.1 in
Jae Ko, JK 764 Black, 2017
Rolled paper, coloured ink and glue
76 x 32 x 43 cm | 29.9 x 12.6 x 16.9 in
Jae Ko, JK454 Wine Carmine with Orange, 2017
38 x 51 x 13 cm | 15 x 20.1 x 5.1 in
Jae Ko, JK2101, Ultramarine Blue with Black
Rolled paper and pigmented ink
139 x 112 x 8 cm | 54.7 x 44.1 x 3.1 in
Jae Ko, JK439 Red and Indian Yellow, 2023
Rolled paper and pigmented ink
105 x 55 x 14 cm | 41.3 x 21.7 x 5.5 in
Jae Ko, JK709 Cream, 2010
Rolled paper, colored ink, glue
170 x 60 x 42 cm | 66.9 x 23.6 x 16.5 in
Jae Ko, JK365 Crimson, 2015
Rolled paper, colour pigment and glue
56 x 44 x 15 cm | 22 x 17.3 x 5.9 in
Jae Ko, JK 764 Black, 2017
Rolled paper, colored ink and glue
76 x 32 x 43 cm | 29.9 x 12.6 x 16.9 in
Jae Ko, JK2154 Green, 2022
Rolled paper, colour pigment and glue
183 x 122 x 5 cm | 72 x 48 x 2 in
Jae Ko, JK2113 Ultramarine Blue, 2021
Rolled paper, Sumi ink and pigmented ink
81,3 x 81,3 x 12,7 cm | 32 x 32 x 5 in
Jae Ko, JK1026 Black with Pink
Rolled paper, Sumi ink, glue
51 x 40 x 12 cm | 20.1 x 15.7 x 4.7 in
Jae Ko, JK2197 Gray and Sky Blue, 2023
Rolled paper, sumi ink, pigmented ink in steel frame
123,2 x 57,2 x 7,6 cm | 48.5 x 22.5 x 3 in
Jae Ko, JK2151 Titanium White, 2022
Rolled paper, sumi ink, pigmented ink in white frame
132,1 x 101,6 cm | 52 x 40 in
Jae Ko, Yellow #3, 2021
Rolled paper, pigmented ink and glue
50,8 x 22,9 x 19,1 cm | 20 x 9 x 7.5 in
Jae Ko, JK2198 Gray and Green, 2023
Rolled paper, sumi ink, pigmented ink in steel frame
123,2 x 57,2 x 7,6 cm | 48.5 x 22.5 x 3 in
Jae Ko, JK2196 Ultramarine Blue, 2023
Rolled paper, sumi ink, pigmented ink in steel frame
123,2 x 228,6 x 7,6 cm | 48.5 x 90 x 3 in
Jae Ko, JK2194 Red Violet, 2023
Rolled paper, sumi ink, pigmented ink
50,8 x 50,8 x 14 cm | 20 x 20 x 5.5 in
Jae Ko, JK1054 Ultramarine and Green, 2023
Rolled paper, sumi ink, pigmented ink
38,1 x 71,1 x 15,2 cm | 15 x 28 x 6 in
Jae Ko, JK798 Binary Black #2, 2024
Rolled paper, sumi ink, graphite powder and glue
58,4 x 43,2 x 30,5 cm | 23 x 17 x 12 in
Jae Ko, JK2179 Ultramarine Blue, 2023
Rolled paper, sumi ink, pigmented ink
119,4 x 116,8 x 27,9 cm | 47 x 46 x 11 in
Jae Ko, JK467 Orange and Red, 2018
Rolled paper, pigmented ink
78,7 x 33 x 19,1 cm | 31 x 13 x 7.5 in
Jae Ko, JK2140, Ultramarine Blue, 2022
Rolled paper, Sumi ink and pigmented ink
95 x 90 x 18 cm | 37.4 x 35.4 x 7.1 in