Recently, many young Korean artists have gained significant attention in the global art scene for their unique perspectives and creativity. Among them, Sun Woo has emerged as an artist who explores the new possibilities of painting in the digital age while reflecting key contemporary themes.

This article explores Sun Woo's body of work and the reasons behind her growing prominence, particularly focusing on her participation in Frieze London 2024, through Shanghai-based Gallery Vacancy.

The gallery primarily showcases artists who combine digital and traditional media, and Sun Woo is set to present her solo exhibition “Portals” at the Frieze London Focus Section from October 9 to 13, 2024.

Fusion of Digital and Painting

Sun Woo's work breaks down the boundaries between digital imagery and traditional painting, merging the two media to create new visual experiences. She collects resources from the vast digital world, transforms them through her own process, and reconstructs them into creative works that go beyond simple replication. Through this approach, she merges digital sensibility with the materiality of painting, providing an intense multi-sensory experience.

A significant element of Sun Woo’s work is the portrayal of transformed bodies. These altered bodies, often appearing in her recent works, express eerie, unsettling emotions, reinforcing a dystopian atmosphere. For example, images of charred wires or dismembered body parts amidst a devastated landscape evoke unsettling feelings.

This central theme reflects Sun Woo's exploration of the relationship between technology and humanity, particularly how technological advancements reshape and reinterpret the human body and identity.

Exploration of Technology and the Human Body

Blending digital tools with traditional painting techniques, Sun Woo deeply explores the impact of modern technology on the human body and senses. She utilizes the internet and AI to collect images, editing them into digital collages or sketches before transferring them to canvas and transforming them into multi-layered surreal paintings.

Her work fuses mechanical and organic elements to present deformed beings that transcend the limits of the human body, exploring the contemporary phenomenon of technology redefining the meaning of physical existence.

This exploration is evident in how she treats the body: in her work, the body is not a simple form but is constantly transformed and reconfigured object. This is linked to the way images are rapidly created and consumed in the digital world, where the body is treated as a variable element rather than a fixed entity.

In doing so, Sun Woo artistically visualizes the impact of technology on human existence in contemporary society and asks the viewer deep questions about the changing nature of the body and identity.

Dystopian Imagination

Sun Woo’s art is grounded in dystopian imagination, offering a critical perspective on how technological advancements transform human existence. Her works visually represent this imagination through grotesque figures and altered bodies, examining humanity’s over-reliance on technology and the potential loss of humanity.

The fusion of digital imagery and painting in her work provides audiences with a powerful visual experience, provoking reflection on the deeper issues in contemporary society.

International Recognition

Sun Woo’s international prominence is driven by her innovative approach of merging digital and analog media to explore one of the most important themes in contemporary art: the relationship between technology and humanity.

She uses symbols from pop culture and consumerism to critically examine modern consumption patterns and their underlying forces. Her exploration of the transformation of the human body and identity in the digital age raises profound questions about the changing nature of human existence.
 
This innovative approach has positioned Sun Woo as a rising star in the global art scene. Her works, which provide both intense visual impact and sensory experiences, offer new possibilities for exploring the fusion of digital and painting in contemporary art.
 
Her contributions, alongside other young Korean artists, are shaping the future of global contemporary art and marking a significant chapter in the international expansion of Korean contemporary art.
 
Sun Woo was born in Seoul in 1994 and moved to Canada at the age of 10. After living in Toronto for four years, she pursued fine arts at Columbia University in New York, where she graduated in 2017. Following her studies, she returned to Seoul and continued developing her work. In 2020, she held a solo exhibition at the Foundwill Arts Society in Seoul and has exhibited internationally at galleries such as Gallery Hussenot in Paris, Fragment Gallery in Moscow, and P21 Gallery in Seoul, establishing herself as a prominent figure in the global art world.