“I have lived almost my entire life in the big city. Living in the city, I depict what I feel in my own daily moments. In particular, I am interested in observing urban objects and enjoy spending time with them."
Yoonjoong Cho (b.1991, Seoul, South Korea) is an artist based in both London and Seoul. She recently completed her MA in Painting at The Royal College of Art, London (2021-2023). Her practices lie more on the overlooked aspects of urban life rather than the prominent landmarks or structures that dominate the cityscape. She captures lives of urban plants in limited environment, adapting to and enduring physical alterations such as regular pruning. Being born in Seoul, then moving to London and living in cities her whole life, she found the strangeness in urban environment where is the most familiar place. The coexistence of familiarity and unfamiliarity serves as a central theme in her work. In 2022, She was awarded British Institution Awards for students by the Royal Academy of Arts.
I am more interested in other small things than landmarks or concrete structures that reveal huge presences in a city. Among them, the life of urban plants inspires my practice. They are beings with strong vitality, which grows into a curved shape to avoid buildings next to them but never gives up on living. Some are over-modified for urban design. They are often ignored because they seem taken for granted in urban landscapes, and are treated as parts for urban design instead of as living creatures.