Seo Geum-aeng: Sensibility Blooming at the Tip of the Brush

Seo Geum-aeng paints the ordinary — light through a window, a familiar room — as quiet, thoughtful space. *Placing the Heart in Space*.

Seo Geum-aeng, Placing the Heart in Space, 2024, oil on canvas, 70.7×60.6 cm

"Daily life always sits in the same place, but how you see it opens an entirely different world."

Artist Profile

Seo Geum-aeng graduated from Sookmyung Women's University (painting, BFA) and its graduate school (MFA, plastic arts). Since her first solo in 2008, she has held 14+ solos and dozens of group shows. Her work is held by MMCA Art Bank and the E-Land Cultural Foundation.

Her work always begins from daily life. Light in a room, a shadow by the window, a familiar interior — scenes easy to pass over are reborn as quiet, thoughtful space under her brush. She drew attention after winning the Grand Prize at 2009 ART CONNECTION KOREA Emerging Artists, followed by invitational shows at Sempio Space, GS Tower, E-Land Space, and others.

The Work

Seo Geum-aeng, Light Stays-3, 2020, acrylic on canvas, 53.0×33.4 cm

Her painting centers on space, light, and the sense of lingering. As the series Placing the Heart in Space and Light Lingers show, she captures the light and feeling that seep into a place rather than the specific place. Using both oil and acrylic, she conveys emotion through color temperature and brush density.

Her 2020 solo at Sempio Space, Looking at Daily Life, clearly showed her gaze — staring at ordinary space as if strange and leading it into a place of reflection. Her 2025 solo Density of Memory explored the layers of time and memory stacked in space, showing that painting can function not just as depiction but as sensory record. She has been introduced at Kiaf SEOUL among international events.

SAF

Seo Geum-aeng contributes two works to SAF 2026 — Placing the Heart in Space (oil on canvas, 70.7×60.6 cm) and Light Stays-3 (acrylic on canvas, 53.0×33.4 cm) — joining the site of solidarity. These works represent her gentle gaze and fine sense of space.

SAF is a campaign where artists voluntarily contribute works, and the sale revenue becomes a mutual-aid fund. The fund returns as low-interest loans to artists facing financial discrimination — a structure where artists themselves help their peers. Seo Geum-aeng's participation shows, quietly but clearly, what solidarity through creation can mean.

Discover Seo Geum-aeng's works at SAF Online.

Works by Seo Geum-aeng

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