Solo Exhibitions (Brief)

Beak Jungki has held 12 solo exhibitions from 2006 to 2023 at institutions including Alternative Space LOOP (Seoul, Korea), OCI Museum (Seoul, Korea), and Doosan Gallery (Seoul, Korea; New York, USA). His exhibitions 《Contagious Magic》(2019, OCI Museum, Seoul, Korea) and 《Revelation》(2015, Doosan Gallery New York, New York, USA) have been recognized for exploring materiality and spatial transformation through experimental sculptural language.

His recent solo exhibition 《All in One》 at ARARIO GALLERY (Seoul, Korea) in 2023 continues to investigate the intersection of public and private experiences, proposing unique spatial compositions through the physicality of materials.

Group Exhibitions (Brief)

Since 2004, Beak Jungki has participated in numerous curated exhibitions at major public art institutions, including National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Gwacheon, Korea), Seoul Museum of Art (Seoul, Korea), Amore Pacific Museum of Art (Seoul, Korea), Ulsan Art Museum (Ulsan, Korea), SongEun Art Space (Seoul, Korea), Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art (Seoul, Korea), POSCO Art Museum (Seoul, Korea), and Daegu Art Museum (Daegu, Korea).

Internationally, he has exhibited in Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, Italy, the US, Venezuela, Israel, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore at institutions such as Saatchi Gallery (London, UK), Hermitage Museum (Saint Petersburg, Russia) and Beijing Commune (Beijing, China).

Recent key group exhibitions include 《The First Here, and the Last on the Earth》(2024, Oil Tank Culture T1, Seoul, Korea), 《Whose Forest, Whose World》(2024, Daegu Art Museum, Daegu, Korea), and 《The Book of Distance》(2024, National Asian Culture Center, Gwangju, Korea).

Awards (Selected)

Beak Jungki gained recognition in the art world after receiving the Songeun Art Award (2012, Seoul, Korea). In 2019, he was awarded the 30th Kimsechoong Art Prize (Seoul, Korea), further solidifying his status in the fields of sculpture and installation art. Most recently, he won the 28th IFVA Media Art Gold Award (2023, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong, China), reinforcing his international reputation.

Collections (Selected)

Beak Jungki’s works are housed in the collections of major institutions, including National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Korea), Museum of Contemporary Art Busan (Korea), Ulsan Art Museum (Korea), ARARIO MUSEUM (Korea), Doosan Art Center (Korea), OCI Museum (Korea), SongEun (Korea), and Bridge Guard Art & Science Center (Sturovo, Slovakia).

Originality & Identity

Beak Jungki explores the relationships between spirit and matter, humanity and nature by merging scientific inquiry, Eastern and Western mythological imagination, and shamanistic concepts. While his early works focused on themes of water, healing, and religious rituals, his recent works have expanded to explore the circulation and transformation of matter, as well as the generation and transfer of energy.

One of his notable early works, Vaseline Armor & Helmet(2007), was an experimental attempt to create protective gear using Vaseline. By amplifying the healing properties of this material, Beak explored its transformation from a simple medicinal substance into a symbolic object. His subsequent work, Pray for Rain-Morocco(2008), expanded on the religious and societal implications of water.

In his 2023 solo exhibition 《All in One》 at Arario Gallery, Seoul, Beak presented Candle Generator and Egg Incubator(2023), an experiment in which candle heat was converted into electrical energy to hatch a chick. The candle, which symbolizes prayer and spiritual wishes, simultaneously functions as an energy-producing device, emphasizing the intersection of belief and scientific methodology.

Since 2011, Beak has also been working on his Memorial Antenna project, which transforms public monuments into shortwave radio transmitters. His 2023 work, Active Statue, presented in 《All in One》, continues this exploration by converting statues into transmitting devices, experimenting with new forms of communication.

Style & Contents

Beak Jungki’s artistic approach combines mechanical experimentation and sculptural investigation, emphasizing chemical transformations of matter, energy conversion, bodily intervention, performance, and architectural elements.

His Is of series (2011–) exemplifies his experimental method. In this series, Beak prints landscape photographs using natural pigments extracted from fallen leaves and green tea leaves, merging nature, technology, visual perception, and materiality.

Sweet Rain(2010, Insa Art Space) was an installation featuring an artificial rain system that released rainwater infused with saccharin, allowing viewers to experience an altered physical environment. This work not only technologically replicated natural phenomena but also transformed them into a psychological and sensory experience.

In his 2019 solo exhibition 《Contagious Magic》 at OCI Museum, Beak explored the intersection of Eastern rain rituals and modern science. In Dragon’s Lair(2019), he reinterpreted sacred rain-invocation spaces using contemporary methods, incorporating 3D-printed traditional ritual structures.

His 2021 exhibition 《Wet Metal》 at Willing N Dealing further integrated science and traditional shamanistic concepts. Fusor(2021), inspired by nuclear fusion technology, examined the intersection of contemporary science and ancient Eastern mystical traditions.

Topography & Continuity

Since the 2000s, Beak Jungki has gained prominence in the Korean contemporary art scene for his unique fusion of science, mythology, shamanism, and technology. His works explore the circulation of energy and matter, the significance of memory and monuments, and the boundaries between nature and artificiality, incorporating Eastern philosophical symbolism with modern scientific methodologies.

By converting static monuments into dynamic information conduits and creating landscape photographs with natural pigments, Beak ensures that natural elements are not merely consumed as materials but continue to function within an artistic and conceptual framework.

His exhibitions, including 《Wet Metal》 (2021, Willing N Dealing) and 《All in One》 (2023, Arario Gallery), demonstrate an increasingly refined technical approach to his concepts.

Beak's practice has not only gained recognition in Korea but has also been featured in international art scenes, including the UK, the United States, Germany, Japan, Russia, Denmark, the Netherlands, China, and Hong Kong. Moving forward, his work is expected to continue expanding the possibilities of contemporary art by bridging traditional philosophies with emerging technologies.