KOO JEONG A – 'OUSSSEAN'

The title of the exhibition refers to the realm of Ousss, conceived by KOO: a kind of kingdom that can only be perceived through concentration, patience and attention. Much of KOO’s work operates in the realm of invisible phenomena that can be experienced through light, colour, vibration and scent – though only if the viewers bring with them the presence necessary for such perception.

The exhibition has been conceived with reference to the architecture of KW and brings together key works from the past decades: from vibrating walls and magnetic towers to drawings and phosphorescent paintings.

OUSSSEAN is KOO’s first major solo exhibition in Germany and in Berlin, where the artist lived in the 1990s and 2000s. KOO’s body of work spans a broad spectrum of themes, ranging from human perception to Taoist philosophy, and from art history to the teachings of Qi.

Every material and every phenomenon – be it a child’s toy, a stack of magnets or a ray of sunlight – is treated with care and a sense of magic. For KOO, permanence plays no role here; the works are intended not so much to be understood or interpreted as to be experienced – through their presence and the interplay of their hidden yet perceptible energy.

Using forms that are both simple and enigmatic, the artist combines immaterial elements such as physical forces, magnetic fields, phosphorescence, light, scent, sound and temperature to create multisensory environments that explore perception and its limits.

‘Whoever cannot settle on the threshold of the moment, forgetting all pasts […], will never know what happiness is.’

– Friedrich Nietzsche (1874)