Through various pictorial methods such as drawing, printmaking, and oil painting, Ko Hyunjung tells personal stories that draw from the world around her — mountains, flowers and butterflies, birds, animals, and human figures. In her works, these familiar subjects are transformed into other imaginative forms. The images she paints can seem as though they are depicting scenes from mythological tales or representing unknown, mysterious worlds. Sometimes, she visualizes narratives of “catastrophes” through her imagery; other times, she focuses on expressing texture — scratching the paper’s surface or utilizing the material’s own characteristics. She also explores the sticky consistency of oil paint and the depth of color that comes from its accumulation, weaving her stories through a variety of media.
Ko’s early works began with stories about epidemics and plagues, which gradually expanded into broader narratives of catastrophe. Within these compositions, she does not limit herself to portraying disaster as something purely negative, but rather delivers a sense of consolation for the act of living quietly between birth and death.
Through animals, Ko expresses her own way of confronting the world — her anxieties, her reflections on disaster, and her means of processing them. She communicates her perception of the world through animal imagery, leading the viewer into unfamiliar territory. Human figures that appear half-human, half-animal or half-insect (Into a Storm, Mourning Dove), along with rabbits, pigeons, cats, and dogs, depict scenes where struggle and peace, life and death coexist. Rather than simply reproducing animals from a human perspective, she renders the “catastrophes” that all living beings experience through her unique visual language. In her work We Are Born Again Every Day, similar shapes appear in different colors and atmospheres, symbolizing the idea that while each day may seem the same, every moment is in fact distinct.
Born in Seoul in 1990, Ko Hyunjung studied Oriental Painting in the Department of Painting and Sculpture at Gachon University (formerly Kyungwon University) and later earned her Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the Korea National University of Arts. Through her imagery, she conveys stories about people, animals, and plants that face both small and great disasters. While their forms may appear similar, their colors, textures, and atmospheres reflect the subtle differences of daily life — each day the same, yet never truly identical. She began presenting her work with a solo exhibition at A-Lounge Gallery and continues to showcase her art in a variety of spaces.
