Michael Joo, Saltiness of Greatness (detail), 1992, compressed salt blocks, engraved aluminum trays, steel, wood, polyethylene, synthetic sweat, 156 × 96 × 48 in. Private Collection. Photo: Tim Lloyd ©Space ZeroOne
《Michael Joo:
Sweat Models 1991-2026》, a solo exhibition by Korean
American artist Michael Joo, is on view through April 18 at Space ZeroOne, a
newly launched exhibition space in New York operated by the Hanwha Foundation
of Culture.
Opened last November in Tribeca, Space
ZeroOne is a global arts platform dedicated to discovering and supporting
emerging artists, while fostering a long-term creative ecosystem to facilitate
the international expansion of Korean artists.
Whereas its inaugural exhibition, 《Contours of Zero》, introduced the space’s
vision with a focus on emerging artists, the selection of mid-career artist
Michael Joo for its first exhibition of 2026 appears to signal a strategy of
expanding the platform through intergenerational experimentation and exchange.
Michael Joo, Saltiness of Greatness, 1992, compressed salt blocks, engraved aluminium trays, steel, wood, polyethylene, synthetic sweat, 156 x 96 x 48 in. Private Collection. Photo: Tim Lloyd ©Space ZeroOne
Born in New York to Korean immigrant
parents, Michael Joo is a second-generation Korean American artist who has, for
more than three decades, explored the relationships between material and
systems, body and information through diverse media including sculpture,
installation, and video. He first gained significant international attention
following his participation in the Venice Biennale in 2001.
This exhibition surveys the artist’s
overall trajectory, from early works to new productions, and includes
previously unrealized projects conceived or produced in the 1990s as well as
newly realized pieces. Reflecting contemporary social issues such as the AIDS
crisis and the rapid expansion of information technology, the works move beyond
historical documentation to pose questions that remain urgently relevant today.
Michael Joo, Sapphic Bunkbed (Pos.69), 1993, aluminium, urinal cakes, stainless steel, expansion poles, book, 85 x 76 x 35 in. Courtesy of the Artist and Kukje Gallery. Photo: Adam Reich ©Space ZeroOne
The exhibition title “Sweat Models” refers
to one of Joo’s signature series, which encapsulates his long-standing inquiry
into “measurement” and “systems.” Through this body of work, he indirectly
examines the vulnerability of the human body and the social structures that
surround and regulate it.
Following this presentation, Space ZeroOne
is scheduled to mount an exhibition of next-generation mid-career artists in
May. Through programming across multiple levels, the institution aims to
continue providing growth references and sustained support for the global
advancement of emerging Korean artists.
