Korean Pavilion, The 60th International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia
KOO JEONG A – ODORAMA CITIES

▣ Overview

• Title : Korean Pavilion, The 60th International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia KOO JEONG A – ODORAMA CITIES
• Artist : KOO JEONG A
• Artistic Directors : Seolhui Lee, Jacob Fabricius
• Period : 24.12.20.-25.3.23.
• Opening Hours : 11:00 AM—7:00 PM / Closed on Mondays, 1.1, Lunar New Year’s Day
• Venue : ARKO Art Center Gallery 1, 2
• Admission : Free
• In partnership with Hyundai Motor
• Partners : NONFICTION, LUMA Foundation, Dinesen
• Collaborator : LUSH
• Sponsors : ILJIN Culture Foundation, Bloomberg, Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation, Agnès b, Bazaar Art, Art Hub Copenhagen, Louisiana Channel
• Supporters : Albarrán Bourdais, Pilar Corrias, Pinksummer Gallery, PKM Gallery
• Host : Arts Council Korea

▣ Introduction

KOO JEONG A – ODORAMA CITIES at the Korean Pavilion, the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia opens its homecoming exhibition on December 20th at ARKO Art Center in Seoul, South Korea.

KOO JEONG A’s solo show ODORAMA CITIES is curated by the artistic director duo Seolhui Lee (Chief Curator, Kunsthal Aarhus, Denmark) and Jacob Fabricius (Director, Art Hub Copenhagen, Denmark).

The exhibition title ‘Odorama’ is a word that combines ‘odor,’ which means scent, and ‘-rama’ of drama. KOO uses the sense of smell and sight as a synesthetic medium to explore the delicate balance between visibility and invisibility, the imaginary and actuality, and existence and nonexistence, thus providing possibilities beyond their boundaries.

Featuring 600 scents memories and 17 different scents, KOO JEONG A – ODORAMA CITIES delves into the nuances of our spatial encounters, investigating how we perceive and recollect spaces, what trickers our memory, with a particular emphasis on how scents, smells, and odors contribute to these memories.

▣ Artist Introduction - KOO JEONG A

Since the early 1990s, KOO JEONG A (they/them – b. 1967, lives and works everywhere) has made works that are seemingly casual and commonplace, yet at the same time remarkably precise, deliberate, and considered. Their reflections on the senses and the body incorporate objects, still and moving images, audio elements, and aromas. Many of their works are conceived within site-specific environments that question the limits of fact and fiction, the imaginary and actuality of our world. KOO considers the connection of energies between place and people, relying on chance to drive their encounters.

KOO held solo shows at Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Germany (2012), Dia Art Foundation, Dia: Beacon, USA (2010), and Centre Pompidou, France (2004), where they gained their international stature. They have participated in various international exhibitions, including La Biennale di Venezia, Italy (2014, 2009, 2003, 2001, 1995), Liverpool Biennale, UK (2010), Busan and Gwangju Biennales, South Korea (2020; 2014, 2002, 1997), the Guggenheim Museum, USA (2010, 2004, 2002), Fondation Louis Vuitton, France (2015), and National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, South Korea (2015). KOO was a finalist for the Hugo Boss Prize in 2002, won the Hermes Korea Prize for contemporary art in 2005, and was named as 2016 Artist of the Year by the Korean Cultural Centre UK. Right after opening the Korean Pavilion 2024, they recently presented an indoor skatepark together with Seolhui Lee & Jacob Fabricius at Malmö Konsthall in Sweden. KOO is planning to have a solo show at Haus der Kunst, Germany (2025), Aspen Art Museum, USA (2026), and Leeum Museum of Art, South Korea (2026).

▣ Artistic Directors Introduction - Seolhui Lee, Jacob Fabricius

- Courtesy of the Artistic Directors. Photo by Chae Dae Han.

Seolhui Lee (b. 1987, lives and works in Aarhus) is the chief curator at Kunsthal Aarhus in Denmark (2023–present). In relation to the Korean Pavilion 2024, KOO JEONG A – ODORAMA CITIES, Lee recently curated KOO’s indoor skatepark with Jacob Fabricius at Malmö Konsthall in Sweden. She previously served as the head of the exhibition team for the Busan Biennale 2020, was a curator at the Seoul Museum of Art (2018–2019), and worked for the Korea Artist Prize 2012 at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, South Korea (2012–2013). In addition, Lee has served as an adjunct professor at the Korea National University of Arts (2019–2022) and the Kaywon University of Art & Design, South Korea (2022–2023). In conjunction with her studies, Lee’s essays have been published in Korean Contemporary Art Since 1990 (2017) and Reading Korean Contemporary Art with Keywords (2019). She is also a contributor for various art publications, including the contemporary Korean art magazine Art In Culture since 2020.

Jacob Fabricius (b. 1970, lives and works in Copenhagen) is the director of Art Hub Copenhagen in Denmark (2021–present). In relation to the Korean Pavilion 2024, KOO JEONG A – ODORAMA CITIES, Fabricius recently curated KOO’s indoor skatepark with Seolhui Lee at Malmö Konsthall in Sweden. He also published an interview book Setting the Tone of the Exhibition – The Anatomy of Exhibition Openings (Distanz, 2024). Fabricius previously was the artistic director at Kunsthal Aarhus (2016–2021), where he curated several exhibitions by South Korean artists. In 2019, he was appointed as the artistic director for the Busan Biennale 2020 and curated the exhibition Words at an Exhibition: an exhibition in ten chapters and five poems. Fabricius has also served as the director at Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Denmark (2013–2014), artistic director at Malmö Konsthall, Sweden (2008–2012), associate curator at the Centre d’Art Santa Mònica, Spain (2006–2008), Cneai=, France (2015–2016), and artistic director of Contour 2013, 6th Biennial of Moving Image, Belgium (2012–2013).

▣ Exhibition view