Collection: NU K
NU K (Born South Korea, 1982~)
Awarded
2025
ART NYC Long -term Artist Residency Program fellowship in Busan, South Korea, 2025
Exhibition
2025
Scottsdale Ferrari art week 2025, Arizona, ART NYC
Erased Marks, Telephone booth Lab in London, ART NYC
Solo Exhibition, Fade away, Ulsan, ART NYC
Artist statement
I am the type of person who removes and cures the signs of life that people have left on their skin. Over the years, the signs their lives have brought to their surfaces have been treated, sometimes quickly and slowly. They get hurt from UV rays, ominous atmosphere, hot stuff, stress, etc., and leave me with the body to erase the traces of them. As I treated them, I looked at my skin and the wounds that were ingrained within it. Patients' medical records allowed me to peer into my inner self. Traces of every life are piling up, but I was ironically the one who erased them. These processes became a great source of my creation. I felt incredible energy in the creation of something completely different through the process of erasing the traces left by someone again.
The first artist who inspired me was Matthew Barney(American, 1967~), a doctor-turned-artist. His 1995-2002 Climaster series was a huge shock and inspiration. A photographic work that transformed the body and visually directed whale oil made me break my stereotypes about art. Cy Twombly (America, 1928~) is also my art teacher. I have never met but have communicated with him, indulging in his work and art world. His energetic doodles, like the ones he left behind, led me to the art world. They never taught me in school, but they were great teachers.
After meeting them, I secretly worked on them. The patients I met daily and the traces of life and time they brought were all great materials for me. I desired to explore the lives of myself and others, not to show them to someone. The work was piled up, and I applied to an artist residency program to start my work in earnest and got an opportunity for an exhibition. Now, I have a studio in Korea and an exclusive contract with ART NYC to meet many people through exhibitions in New York and worldwide.
