b.1988
Lives and works in Seoul, New York
Starting from personal experience, Simon Ko(b.1988) attempts to create a place where the messy process of self-realization through the experience of love is fully embraced. Painting allows him to observe and preserve certain moments and emotions that call for deeper contemplation and give it the proper attention that they deserve. With equal emphasis placed on the medium of painting itself and its potential for narrative, Ko creates characters that embody a range of feelings that one might experience through the course of a relationship such as trust, hope, despair, and infatuation. Whether alone or together, the characters in Ko’s works appear to have found a setting that would embrace their warmth, lack of maturity, and jumbled attempts at trying to love someone.
Some of Ko’s recent solo exhibitions include 《Mellow Island》(SEOJUNG ART, Seoul, Korea, 2024), and 《Sparks》(Nathalie Karg Gallery, New York, The U.S, 2023). Additionally, he participated in many group exhibitions such as 《DEAR CABINET》(SEOJUNG ART, Seoul, Korea, 2023) and 《Sarang: Conversation on Love》(Wellcome Collective, New York, The U.S, 2023).