A groundbreaking solo exhibition featuring the work of renowned Korean artist Koo Jeong A is currently captivating visitors at LUMA Arles in southern France, offering an immersive journey through light, darkness, and sensory transformation that runs through January 4, 2026.
The centerpiece of the exhibition, titled "Koo Jeong A: Land of Ousss [Kangse]," is an installation called "Seven Stars," featuring 10 paintings that initially appear as abstract artworks. However, the space undergoes a dramatic transformation when lights fade, revealing glowing stars that emerge in the darkness like celestial bodies invisible during daylight but perpetually present in the cosmos.
The exhibition design creates an intimate, almost sacred experience by limiting access to just 10 visitors at a time in the maze-like gallery space. When darkness falls, visitors instinctively freeze, uncertain of what will unfold, before entering a meditative state as they gaze at the luminous stars before them. When illumination returns, people resume movement, creating an effect reminiscent of a cosmic game of freeze tag.
"It is a very different cognitive and sensory experience shifting between light and dark – you feel like you are in different worlds," explained Eimear Martin, independent curator at LUMA Arles. "The silent partner in this work is light. They (paintings) gather energy in light to re-emit."
The 10 paintings comprising the "Seven Stars" series made their public debut in 2020 at PKM Gallery in Seoul. For the LUMA Arles presentation, the works have undergone significant evolution through collaboration between the curatorial team and the artist. New architectural elements have been incorporated, including a curtain installed behind the concave and convex-shaped works, creating a harmonious balance reminiscent of yin and yang principles.
"It is about creating a new space for the work. If the work travels elsewhere, the experience from here remains and that leads to something different. I think that is how the work continues to evolve," Koo explained during a July 5 interview with The Korea Herald at Drum Cafe within LUMA Arles.
Koo, who describes herself as "living and working everywhere," has built her artistic practice around incorporating intangible elements and unseen forces – including light, gravity, magnetic fields, and scent – into her works through poetic interpretation. Her nomadic lifestyle has fundamentally shaped her artistic philosophy.
"Because I move around a lot, I just take my body and my mind – I have spent 30 to 40 years making work, letting it go and moving on, which has been years and years of practice," she reflected.
The exhibition extends beyond the "Seven Stars" installation to showcase the breadth of Koo's artistic vision. At the entrance to The Tower, LUMA Arles' signature building designed by Frank Gehry, visitors encounter "Kangse SpSt," a levitating figure that defies gravity while emitting a carefully crafted scent. This olfactory element represents the combined memories of people from both North and South Korea, countries divided by a single border line. The sculpture previously appeared at the Korean Pavilion during the 2024 Venice Biennale.
The Tower's East Gallery presents another dimension of Koo's work, bathed in fluorescent pink light that transports visitors into an otherworldly environment. Here, 222 whimsical drawings created by the artist on a regular basis offer intimate glimpses into her creative mind and daily experiences. These sketches capture everyday moments such as eating noodles alone, lying in bed lost in thought, and scrubbing with a washcloth at public bathhouses – a common scene in Korean culture.
"When I draw, I go into a room. But if things don't progress in that room, I take a few sheets of paper – enough for maybe three days – and head somewhere else," Koo explained. "When there's no creative energy, no momentum, there's nothing you can do. In those moments, I have to change the air somehow."
Koo's artistic sensibility often incorporates quirky elements with subtle humor and playfulness, qualities that also emerge in her conversational style. One particularly striking example is a snowman pierced with 14 acupuncture needles, displayed alongside the drawing series. This absurd juxtaposition creates a humorous yet thought-provoking commentary.
The snow sculpture, shaped like both the figure eight and the infinity symbol, carries deep personal significance. "All these numbers (in Koo's art) have a very particular private significance," Martin noted. The piece was originally created during the artist's 2007 residency at the Aspen Art Museum in Colorado.
Visible from the Drum Cafe interview location, Koo's "OooOoO" installation illuminates the public terrace at night through fluorescent pigments. This glowing skate park serves as a permanent installation at LUMA Arles, providing free public access to art integrated into recreational space.
The skate park concept originated in 2012 under the title "Otro" as part of a landscape revitalization project on Vassiviere Island in France. The initiative aimed to transform the area into a space for community gathering and interaction.
"It (creating art) is how I exist in the world. It is a way of living for me," Koo emphasized. "It is a means of how I communicate with people."
Throughout the exhibition space, looping wooden sculptures reminiscent of Mobius strips invite visitors to sit and rest between artworks. These continuous forms embody Koo's fascination with infinity and perpetual motion.
On the fluid surfaces of Gehry's architectural design, Koo has created site-specific rock sculptures titled "[Ever] [Vast]" in 2025, drawing inspiration from the dramatic rock formations found in the nearby Alpilles Mountains. These works demonstrate her ability to respond to and integrate with specific geographical and architectural contexts.
Looking ahead, Koo will present a solo exhibition at Seoul's Leeum Museum of Art next year, where she hints the presentation will take an unprecedented format never before attempt in her career.
Despite her extensive 30-year career, Koo maintains a humble and realistic perspective on artistic practice, acknowledging that continuous trial and error have shaped her development.
"As an artist, you have to be tough. A maestro? An artist is nothing like that," she stated candidly. "The failures are many, but it is those small successes that give you the strength to keep failing."
Reflecting on her evolution as an artist, Koo noted: "When I was younger, even the smallest mistakes would scare me – but the difference now is that I know that I will have to take those risks and jump anyway. When you're trained, you don't become fearless, but you learn how to move through fear."
The current exhibition represents the largest presentation of Koo's works ever mounted in France, bringing together pieces spanning from 2007 to the present day. "Koo Jeong A: Land of Ousss [Kangse]" opened on July 5 and will continue to transform visitors' perceptions of space, light, and sensory experience through January 4, 2026, offering audiences multiple opportunities to experience the cosmic journey the artist has created within the walls of LUMA Arles.
