The Taubman Museum of Art presents Jae Ko: Paper, open through January 9, 2010.
Dividing her time between Washington, D.C. and her home in Piney Point, Maryland, Jae Ko uses rolled paper soaked over time in water containing sumi ink or natural dyes to form spare, fluid-like sculptural objects. The Korean-born artist came to the United States to earn her MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. Her sculptural variations on the manipulation and coloring of tightly wound spools of paper transcend their materials and transform their space.
In both her wall and floor works, these rolls of various widths and lengths take on the appearance of three-dimensional gesture, both man-made and mechanical. They evoke a type of fluidity captured in time, closely resembling calligraphy or other forms of writing, and lyrical movement of all kinds. Defying narrative or distinct references, they allow for open interpretation or act as resting spots for our thoughts and feelings.
According to Ko: “The edges of my infinitely long bands of paper, create line drawings which spiral, tighten and loosen depending on how they’re rolled. Saturating the pre-set paper form in baths of Sumi ink such as saffron and indigo, the flat pieces of paper elongate and swell from the moisture.” While visually bridging in appearance materials such as velvet or charred wood, Jae Ko’s work offers sculptural surfaces that compel inspection while suggesting the territory of deep space.
Jae Ko received her B.F.A. from Wako University, Tokyo, Japan and her M.F.A from the Maryland Institute of Art, Baltimore, MD. She has exhibited in Japan and throughout the United States since 1985, including the Uneo Museum, Tokyo, Japan, the Corcoran Museum of Art, Washington, DC, the Kennedy Museum of Art, Athens, OH and the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield, Connecticut. She has been awarded numerous fellowships including from The Pollock-Krasner Foundation and Virginia Museum of Fine Art.
Taubman Museum of Art
110 Salem Avenue, SE
Roanoke, VA 24011
www.taubmanmuseum.org