
Soo Joo
Born Seoul, South Korea, 1994
A Korean-American artist, Soo Joo creates biophilic works influenced by traditional Korean art and design, which values forms that harmoniously coexist with nature. Inspired by her childhood in the suburbs of New England, her deep connection to East-Asian ink calligraphy, and her interdisciplinary study of evolutionary biology, Joo is driven by our innate human need to feel connected to the natural world. At the core of her work is an investigation into how non-living, abstract forms can still carry the essence of nature, and an exploration into the physical and physiological benefits of bringing biophilic design into our built environment
In creating her novel organic forms, Joo begins by creating watercolor paintings and monoprint artworks from which she develops her expressive and gestural furniture works. Using natural materials with a long history with mankind such as wood, ceramics and bronze, she uses traditional woodworking techniques to painstakingly bent-laminate, stack-laminate and hand-sculpt each of her pieces, carving over several days to ensure that the curves flow from every angle. Through this process, she creates works of extraordinary elegance, harmony, and timelessness that celebrates Korean biophilic aesthetics
Currently based in Seoul, South Korea, Soo is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and classically trained in fine art at Sunhwa Arts School. She worked with international sculptor Lee Jae Hyo for a year in Italy and Korea, and was an Artist Resident at Anderson Ranch Art Center and Penland School of Craft
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