Join the Curator: Michael Joo

man works on a silvered surface with a brush.Artist Michael Joo employs myriad materials and rigorous engagement with technological processes throughout his practice. As a recipient of the Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship in 2012, he studied the annual flight of the iconic red-crowned crane to the Korean Demilitarized Zone and used advanced digital reproduction tools to create stunning, large-scale works that were exhibited in Perspectives: Michael Joo. Since then, he has exhibited major installations that continue to reflect on the intersection between technology, perception, and the natural environment. Join curator Carol Huh in conversation with the artist about how the marriage of art and science continues to evolve in his work and learn more about his exciting upcoming projects. This program is offered as part of The Studio, the National Museum of Asian Art’s contemporary art virtual space, and is part of a series in which artists reflect on how they have engaged with objects and ideas from the museum.

Michael Joo (b. 1966, Ithaca) holds a BFA from the Washington University in St. Louis and MFA from the Yale School of Art. Employing diverse media and materials, Joo draws together creative and scientific modes in innovative conceptual work that has earned honors including Grand Prize at the sixth Gwangju Biennale. Joo was the 2012 recipient of the Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship. His recent exhibitions include Sensory Meridian (2021), Project: Michael Joo (2019), and Absentialis (2018).

Carol Huh is curator of contemporary art at the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. Huh focuses on current artistic production related to Asia through exhibitions, acquisitions, and public programs.

Image courtesy of Michael Joo.

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