Ara Ko

Korea, 1989

Ara's style lies between planning and serendipity. She carefully considers her goals and the desired effect before embarking on a shoot, but she is also open to the unexpected. This allows her to adapt her techniques to the given situation, landscape, emotions, and message she wants to convey. In this process, she doesn't tether herself too much to the strict goal of capturing a scene with precise accuracy. Rather, her primary focus is on how the world she encounters resonates within her. It's about interpreting the world, not merely reproducing it.

Ara places a lot of importance on color. Color is a crucial means for her to express her emotions. That's why she dedicates a significant amount of time, both during the shoot and in post-production, to capture subtle changes in color.

In the Meadow, 2020 Archival print on photo Hahnemühle rag satin, 71,5 x 100 cm

  • SOLO EXHIBITIONS 

    2025  Kiaf Seoul, Window Fourteen, Seoul, KR

    2023 L’Etranger, Window Fourteen, Geneva, CH

    2022 L’Etranger, KP Gallery, Seoul, KR

    2019 Unamed Darkness, Gallery Namib, Seoul, KR

    GROUP EXHIBITIONS 

    2025 Photo Basel, Basel, CH 

    L’Avant, Window Fourteen, Geneva, CH

    2024 Unseen, Amsterdam, NL

    2023 Human and Environment, Ulsan International Photo Festival, Ulsan, KR

    2022 ImageNation, Galerie Joseph, Paris, FR

    2021 What Is Happening There I, Irum Gallery, Deagu, KR 

    What Is Happening There II, Dream Cube, Gumi, KR

    2019 The Memory of Space, Kimchungup Architecture Museum, Anyang, KR

    PUBLICATIONS 

    2019 Unamed Darkness, NAMIB