Woo Jin Joo
Woo Jin is a mixed media artist specialising in soft sculpture and embroidery art. Originally from Seoul, Korea, she moved to London in 2014 for further education in BA Textiles at Central Saint Martins, and continuing her studies in MA Textiles at Royal College of Art.
Woo Jin’s practice primarily focuses on exploring the significance and meanings of objects in our lived experience, and how our relations with them spark larger conversations around capitalist consumerism, the ecological crisis, and the Anthropocene epoch we have entered. Mediating on the values we endow on objects in our materialist society, she seeks to postulate a new way of living, being, and relating with objects other than our current norm, to one that is more caring, lasting, and endowed with meaning. Taking inspiration from traditional East Asian folklore, mysticism, and philosophy, she seeks to re-enchant the stories around everyday objects, transforming and imbuing the objects with characters, narratives and spirit. Working mainly with found and old objects that are often overlooked, unnoticed and disregarded, the objects are subverted into art and a vessel for conversation through the act of stitching.
Since graduating from the Royal College of Art in 2021, Woo Jin has been awarded the Fine Art Textiles Prize, Elephant Trust Fund, and was the runner-up for the Hari Art Prize, Art Partner Create Cop, and shortlisted for the East London Art Prize. She has been published in Embroidery Magazine, Crafts Magazine, and Arts Maze Magazine.
EXHIBITION
2023 December. Peckham Craft Show. AMP Gallery.
2023 October. Bring Your Light. Nunnery Gallery.
2023 October. Designed for Life. London College of Fashion, Stratford.
2023 September. 11:11. Staffordshire St.
2023 June. Geen woorden maar draden (No Words, Just Threads). Wereldmuseum, Rotterdam.
2023 May. Tailored. Sunny Banks Mill Gallery.
2022 November. Creature Comforts. JGM Gallery.
2022 October. Dutch Design Week. New Order of Fashion, Eindhoven.
2022 September. Hari Art Prize Shortlist Exhibition. Hari Hotel.
2022 May. ME2U. Nunnery Gallery.
2022 May. London Craft Week. 'Soft Dialogue. The Department Store, Brixton.
2021 October. Dutch Design Week. New Order of Fashion, Eindhoven.
2021 September. London Design Week. The Bottle Factory.
2021 August. Boredom is Not a Luxury. Craft Central.
2021 July. Textiles Happening. Royal College of Art
2020 March. Eco(logical) Exhibition. Hockney Gallery.
2019 June. BA Graduate Show. Central Saint Martins.
AWARDS & FUNDINGS
2023 Cockpit Bagri Award
2023 A-N Artist Bursary
2022 Art Partner Create Cop 27 3rd Place.
2022 East London Art Prize Shortlist
2022 DYCP Arts Council Funding Round 14
2022 Hari Art Prize Shortlist.
2022 Elephant Trust Award Winner.
2021 Janome Fine Art Textiles Award Winner.
2021 Bradford Textiles Design Competition Mixed Media Textiles 3rd Place.
2021 Textiles Society Bursary. Finalist, Highly Commended.
RESIDENCY
2023 Hari Art Prize Finalist Residency.
2022 New Order of Fashion Man x Machine Embroidery Residency.
2022 Space Studio Online Collaborative Residency.
2019 Kyoto Design Lab Textiles Residency.
PUBLICATION
2022 Embroidery Magazine Issue 78
2022 Art Maze Mag Issue 27
2022 Crafts Magazine Issue 293
2022 Handwerken Zonder Grenzen Issue 229
WORKSHOP & TEACHING
2023/2024 Bow Arts Artist Educator.
2023/2024 Barrowfull Festival of Colours Workshop Facilitator.
2022 Craft Council Freelance Workshop Facilitator.
2022 Craftspace In:Site Festival Workshop Facilitator.
MEMBER
2022 62 Group of Textiles Artist Associate Member.
Crafts Magazine Issue 293
Handwerken Zonder Grenzen Issue 229