Seunghwui Koo creates her works drawing inspiration from the daily happenings and intricate moments of her life in NYC. Her work is a commentary on the lives of New Yorkers as she has witnessed. She was born in South Korea, where she first had the idea of combining the pig’s head and human body. The significance of the pig’s head lies in the different symbolic meanings from the Eastern and Western cultures. Good fortune (Eastern) and greed (Western), two very different connotations of the pig, are themes that are a part of her works. She uses resin, acrylic, plaster, clay, and mixed media to create her works. She is one of the artists in the Chashama organization in NYC.
Awards & Residencies
2019 ‘2019 Real Art Awards’, Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT
2017 'Small works, A national juried exhibition Award', Best in Show, Main Street Arts, NY
2017 'Con Artist Collective' Fall Residency Program, NY (Aug 15 - Oct 15)
2017 ‘23rd Contemporary Juried Art Exhibition Award’, Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles, CA
2016 '37th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Honorable Mention', Monmouth Museum, NJ
2015 'Studio Montclair's 18th Annual open Juried exhibition, 2nd Place', Aljira A Center for Contemporary, NJ
2015 'Meyer Family Award for Contemporary Art', Main Line Art Center, PA
2014 'Focus New Jersey 2014, 1st Place Sculpture', The Art Center of Northern New Jersey
2014 'The Allied Artists of America Members and Associated Award', Allied Artists of America, INC.
2014 'Call for Artists 2014 Exhibition Award', Korean Cultural Center New York, NY
2013 Winner of '1st Call for Bushwick' Internation Art Competition and Exhibition', NY
2013 ‘Chashama Visual Art Studio Residency’ New York, NY www.chashama.org
Selected Solo exhibitions
2021 ‘Real Art Ways Award Solo exhibition’, Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT (Sep 16 - Dec 19)
2019 ‘Double Sides’, Paris Koh Fine Arts, NJ (Apr 15 - Jun 3)
2017 'Seunghwui Koo - Solo exhibition', ForGround, NY (Jul 27 - Sep 1)
2016 'Amazing Piggies' NJ Emerging Artists Series 2015-2016, Monmouth Museum, NJ (Apr 29 - May 29)
2015 'PIGPLE", Azarian McCullough Art Gallery, St. Thomas Aquinas College, Sparkill, NY (Oct 12 - Nov 8)
2015 'Tweak of Nature' 11th Annual Betsy Meyer Memorial Exhibition and Award, Main Line Art Center, PA (Mar 9 - Apr 21)
2013 'Narcissism' Chashama Gallery, NY (Mar 2 - 10)
Selected Group exhibitions
2020
‘Meditation’, Zen Art Gallery at Catskill Zen do Monastery, New York, NY (Feb 15 - Mar 14)
2019
‘Context Art Miami’, Blank Space Gallery New York, Miami, FL (Dec 3 - 8)
‘SCOPE Miami Beach 2019’, Gallery d’Arte, Miami, FL (Dec 3 - 8)
‘Aqua Art Miami’, Singulart, Miami, FL (Dec 4 - 8)
‘Art Athina 2019 International Art Fair’, Paris Koh Fine Arts, Athens, Greece (Sep 13 -16)
‘Korean Art in Flux’, Art Appel Gallery, Athens, Greece (Jul 11 - Sep 11)
‘Spectral Materiality’, Blank Space Gallery New York, NY (Jun 6 - Jul 21)
2018
'All Stars', Con Artist Collective at 198 Allen St, NY (Aug 6 -12)
'Defining Form ', The Untitled Space, NY (Jul 11- Aug 1)
2017
'Art Context Miami', Blank Space Gallery NY, Miami, FL (Dec 5 - 10)
'Small Works 2017", Main Street Arts, NY (Dec 2 - Jan 5, 2018)
'Off the Wall' Sculpture Exhibition, AHL Foundation & Bank of Hope, NY (Nov 22 - Feb 28, 2018)
'Con Artist Collective' Fall Residency Artist Exhibition, NY (Oct 16 -20)
'Kunsten Festival Watou 2017', 37th Edition, Belgium (Jul 1 - Sep 4)
'Art New York' Pier 94, Art Fair, Blank Space Gallery NY, NY (May 3 - 7)
'84th Annual Juried Exhibition of the Hudson Valley Art Association’, NY (Apr 30 - May 5)
'Multi Lane II', H.O.V-Art, Demouzy Contemporary Gallery, NY (Apr 29 – Jun 3)
‘One Another’ The 23rd Auunal juried art exhibition, Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles, CA (Apr 7 - 28)
'Affordable Art Fair NYC', H.O.V-Art, NY (Mar 29 - Apr 2)
'Yellow', 'In your dream' The Art Alliance of Monmouth County, NJ (Feb 4 - 28) *Judge: Seunghwui Koo
2016
'Fantasy Pill' 4 Person exhibition, Chashama , NY (Sep 20 - Oct 10) *Curated by Seunghwui Koo
'4 Heads/ 9th Annual Governors Island Art Fair', NY (Sep 3 - 25)
'COLOR', National Juried Art Show NYC, BWAC Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition , NY (Jul 23 - Aug 14)
'Monmouth Museum 37th Annual Juried Exhibition', Monmouth Museum, NJ (Jan 16 - Mar 13)
'2016 Professional Artist Membership and Exhibition', Main Line Art Center, PA (Jan 15 - Feb 14)
'Up Against the Wall', The Art Alliance of Monmouth County, NJ (Jan 9 - Feb 2)
2015
'Power, Protest and Resistance', Rush Arts Gallery, Chelsea, NY ( Sep 24 - Oct 31)
'Eclectic Junction', Invitation Exhibition, Riverside Gallery, NJ (Aug 26 - Sep 18)
'ViewPoints 2015', 18th Annual Juried Exhibition, Studio Montclair and Aljira A Center for Contemporary, NJ (Jun 4 - Jul 1)
'Art to Stop You in Your Tracks', 32nd Annual SNUCMAA, Marriott Hotel, Teaneck, NJ (Jun 4 - 7)
‘Chashama Open Studios and Exhibition’, Chashama 441 Studio & 266 Window space, NY (Mar 20 – 21)
'2015 Baker's Dozen, An exhibition of Winners for the 2015 Artists of the Month', Art Guild New Jersey, NJ (Feb 15 - Mar 12)
2014
'Confessions' Martin Hicks Gallery at Belskie Museum of Art & Science, NJ (Nov 16 - Dec 7)
’82nd Annual Juried Exhibition of the Hudson Valley Art Association’, NY (Sep 20 - 26)
'100th Anniversary, Annual Exhibition 2014' The Allied Artists of America, INC. NY (Sep 4 - 14)
‘Eye Candy’ Jadite Gallery, Hell's Kitchen, NY(Jul 22 – Aug 16)
‘Summer Art Festival 2014” KATE SHIN Gallery, NY (Jul 11 – Dec 31)
'Ready or Not' New Jersey Arts Annual : Fine Art, Newark Museum, NJ (Jun 27 - Sep 7)
'Art From the Boros II' Denise Bibro Fine Art, Chelsea NY (Jun 19 - Aug 9)
‘Re.con.nect' Call for Artists 2014 Winners’ Korean Cultural Service NY (Jun 4 - Jul 25)
‘7th Annual Jersey City Invitational Art Exhibition - New Era’ Jersey City Hall, NJ (Apr 1 - 30)
'The Winner of competition 2014 - New Generation' Able Fine Art Seoul, South Korea (Jan 29 - Feb 11)
2013
'Curate NYC Top 150' RUSH Arts Gallery Chelsea, NY (Oct 24 - Nov 2)
'REvulsion' New Jersey City University Visual Arts Gallery, NJ (Oct 5 - Nov 7)
'I came so far for bearty', Riverside Gallery, NJ (Sep 10 - Oct 4)
'Bridging the Gap 1' (Traveling Group exhibition)', Flushing Town Hall, NY(Jun 27 - Jul 14)
‘1st Call for bushwick - The Beginning of a New Era’, Alessandro Berni Gallery, NY (May 31 -Jun 2)
‘Korean Artists show’, John W. Meagher Rotunda Gallery, City Hall, NJ (Apr 6 - 30)
2012
‘Balance NYC’ , Jeffrey Leder Gallery, NY(Nov 11 - Dec 9)
‘Time’, Space Womb Gallery, NY (Nov 10 - 16)
2005
‘The New Generation – Visual Culture’, Gallery SHILLA , South Korea (Jun 14 - 22)
Education
2005 Kyungpook National University, B.F.A in Sculpture, Fine Art, South Korea
Other
2016 Curated by 'Fantasy Pill', Chashama, NY
http://www.chashama.org/event/fantasy_pill
2015 'Open 15', FRONT art space, New York, NY (www.frontartspace.com/open15)
2013 'Mystery Build 2013' Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdESMonNu9M
2013 'Narcissism New Yorker Video'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AcSvzHnuEo
2012 - 2014, Fine Art, 3D Art teacher at Line Art School, NJ (2013 Line Art exhibition, Riverside Gallery NJ, Aug 23)
http://www.lineart-studio.com/
2012 ‘Fearure movie (Jang-pyen-yeong-hwa)', Acting by Young-ran character.
http://www.kwonjuhee.com/feature-movie.php
Publication and Press
Kunst Enfestival Watou 2017 Jul/Aug 37th ste Edition
Artist of the Month, November : Seunghwui Koo', 11/1/2015 Arts Guild New Jersey, NJ
http://www.agnj.org/ArtistOfTheMonth/2015/Koo.html
'Feature Artist', 11/1/ 2015 Pleat Gallery
http://www.pleatgallery.com/november2015
Silence Is Accurate 1/20/2015 - Portia and Ashley.
www.silenceisaccurate.com/#/koo-seunghwui/
Artribune Magazine 12/21/2013 “9 Korean Artists who live and work in NY” –Francesco Lecci
http://www.artribune.com/2013/12/i-magnifici-9-new-york-nove-studio-visit-coreani/
Chashama Newsletter 12/16/2013 “This month’s feature artist : Seunghwui Koo” -Chashama
http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=5d35ddaed137ef441236ce0a3&id=d77314338a&e=430380d991
River Side Gallery 9/3/2013 “I came so far for beauty”
http://www.riversidegallery.net/2013/09/03/i-came-so-far-for-beauty/
Jersey city Independent 4/11/2013 “New Group Exhibit Celebrating Korean Artists” –Summer Dawn Hortillosa
http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/2013/04/11/new-group-exhibit-celebrating-korean-artists/
Chashama Exhibition recap 3/8/2-13 “Narcissism” –Julia John
http://chashama.tumblr.com/post/44866025438/exhibition-recap-narcissism-by-julia-john