BOO Jihyun

BOO Jihyun (b.1979) amplifies her autobiographical memories influenced by the sea through the visual reconstruction of light in space, which awakens a sense of emotive aestheticism. The sea, an environment closely related to BOO’s personal life, acts not only as a cache of past experiences but also as a source that drives artistic desire. The artist reinterprets the use of fishing lamps and other objects by creating atmospheric and immersive installations to materialize the intangible elements of the sea, such as darkness, sound, and the horizon.

BOO’s sculptural installations can be read both as a readymade, in that the works use found objects, and as unique pieces that give new life to these objects. The artist began to gain recognition from the art world since working with fishing lamps in 2007. The sublimation of discarded fishing lamps, which once attracted fish, as works of art, which now attract people, reveals a sensational and unprecedented experience.

BOO Jihyun held solo exhibitions at Lighting Museum (Yangju, Korea) in 2022, Yeoncheon Art House (Yeoncheon, Korea), Whanki Museum (Seoul, Korea) in 2021, UNESCO HQ (Paris, France) and ARARIO MUSEUM in SPACE (Seoul, Korea) in 2018, Nori Gallery (Jeju, Korea) in 2015, and Songeun Artcube (Seoul, Korea) in 2012. She participated in the group exhibitions at Asia Culture Center (Gwangju, Korea), GS Yeulmaru (Yeosu, Korea) in 2022, Galeri Salihara (Jakarta, Indonesia) in 2021, Total Museum of Art (Seoul, Korea) in 2020, Jeju Museum of Contemporary Art (Jeju, Korea), GS Caltex Yeoulmaru (Yeosu, Korea) in 2019, Amorepacific Museum (Jeju, Korea) and Kim Chang Yeul Museum (Jeju, Korea) in 2017, and SOMA Museum of Art (Seoul, Korea) in 2014. BOO Jihyun was selected as an artist of Gwangju Design Biennale (Gwangju, Korea) in 2021, the Installations Sector at Taipei Dangdai 2020 (Taipei City, Taiwan), and her works are collected at Jeju Museum of Art (Korea) and National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Korea).