Jae Ko notes that as her environment changes, her sources of inspiration continuously evolve to inlcude influences from the Western world
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.