Mothballs, dust, and sugar cubes are the common stuff viewers encounter in the poetic installations of Koo Jeong-A (born 1967 in Seoul, Korea; lives and works “everywhere,” according to the artist). The imperceptible nature of her strategic arrangements of exquisite found objects can be understood as a reflection or even an extension of her worldview, shaped by her itinerant and transitory lifestyle. In the early 1990s, Koo studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where she has since resided. She currently divides her time between Paris and London. Koo began her career working in her studio and in private flats, where she experimented with making subtle modifications, such as laying out mothballs in a kitchen or placing a phosphorescent tab in a cupboard. Her seemingly haphazard scatterings of random objects belie the intense concentration she devotes to preparing for each installation.
