Koo Jeong A is an internationally acclaimed South Korean artist whose practice explores perception, sensation and the invisible forces that shape our experience of the world. Working across sculpture, installation, architecture, drawing, film, sound and scent, she creates poetic environments that invite audiences to engage with space through intuition as much as observation. Often described as revealing the “soul” of a place, her works blur the boundaries between the material and immaterial, transforming everyday encounters into moments of discovery and contemplation.

Born in Seoul in 1967, Koo has developed a singular artistic language that combines minimal gestures with profound sensory experiences. Throughout her career she has incorporated elements such as smell, temperature, light, vibration and sound into her work, challenging conventional understandings of sculpture and installation. Whether creating intimate interventions or large-scale public projects, Koo encourages viewers to become active participants, engaging multiple senses to uncover hidden dimensions of space, memory and perception.

In 2023, Koo collaborated with CIRCA on Odorama Cities, a public commission presented across four screens in Seoul during Frieze Seoul. Broadcast nightly throughout September, the work invited audiences to share personal “Smell Stories” connected to their cities, towns and places of origin. These collective memories formed part of Koo’s wider research for the Korean Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale, where she transformed the pavilion into an immersive scent journey exploring the landscapes, histories and identities of the Korean peninsula. Extending beyond the screen and into public participation, Odorama Cities exemplified Koo’s ability to transform intangible experiences into shared cultural encounters, connecting individual memories with collective imagination through one of the most evocative human senses.

Koo’s work has been exhibited internationally at major institutions including the Venice Biennale, Palais de Tokyo, Kunsthalle Basel, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Museo Tamayo and Leeum Museum of Art. Her celebrated glow-in-the-dark skateparks, immersive installations and sensory environments have established her as one of the most innovative artists working today.

Through a practice grounded in curiosity, subtlety and attentiveness, Koo Jeong A continually expands our understanding of how art can be experienced. Her works remind us that meaning is often found not only in what we see, but in what we sense, remember and feel.