길 우 정 吉 祐 廷
Woo Jung Ghil

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Video by courtesy of Seoul Auction X, 2024

Biography

Woo Jung Ghil (b. Seoul, 1992) lives and works in London. She started her BA at Camberwell College of Art graduated from Cambridge School of Visual & Performing Arts '20 and gained her MA in Painting at The Royal College of Art, London '23.

Statement

Woo Jung Ghil is a London-based painter whose work reflects a profound engagement with the meditative process of repetition, aiming to capture and visualise an ideal state of mind. Each painting is an act of layering, a method through which the artist seeks to hold and manifest a mental clarity. By focusing on a singular value that centres one’s being, Ghil creates space for the fading of inner noise, leading to a clearer, more serene state of consciousness. For the artist, painting serves as an existential exploration of an inner sanctuary—an undisturbed realm untouched by the constant stimuli of the external world. This process acts as a form of inner self-portraiture, with the quietude or ‘Jeongjeok’ symbolising a personal state the artist aspires to reach and inhabit. Drawing inspiration from nature’s enduring essence, Ghil uses silence as both metaphor and medium, striving to embody a state of pure presence.

Central to Ghil's artistic practice is a ritualistic process aimed at alleviating the existential burdens humans carry, particularly the false sense of infinitude often attached to life. Through repetitive, introspective action, this process cultivates a deeper awareness of human finitude, grounding the individual within the inevitable flow of time. As the ritual unfolds, it gradually dissolves inauthentic constructs—societal, personal, or existential—thereby offering the artist a sense of relief, clarity, and a more authentic engagement with both self and the world.

"길우정의 회화는 마음 깊숙이 자리한 소리로부터 출발한다. 작가는 내면의 소음이 완전히 소거된 이상적 상태를 꿈꾸지만, 그것이 불가능함을 잘 알고 있다. 그녀에게 작업은 내적 소음을 잠재우고 정적을 이루고자 하는 끊임없는 시도이다. 전작 <소음 소화(Digesting noise)>에서 <정적의 초상(Savouring Silence)>에 이르기까지, 작가는 심연의 소요를 빛으로 승화시키는 시각적 탐구를 꾸준히 이어왔다.  (...) 새벽이 결국 빛으로 향하는 시간이듯, 길우정의 회화도 어둠보다는 온화함으로 가득 차 있다. 색채는 차분하고 선은 부드럽지만 그 아래에는 우직한 생명의 기운이 흐른다. 수겹의 레이어를 덧칠하는 과정은 외부 세계와 내면의 소음에 대항하는 작가의 의지이자 수행적 행위이며, 캔버스에서 은은히 뿜어져 나오는 서정적 에너지는 그 어떤 소리보다 강한 침묵, 작가가 소망하는 고요의 순간을 대변한다. 길우정의 작업은 각각이 하나의 목적지이자, 궁극의 정적을 향해 가는 경유지이기도 하다. (...)"    - 전시 '돌아올 정적' 서문 中.  글 이하진, 2024

"Ghil's paintings begin from the deep sounds of the heart. The artist dreams of an ideal state where inner noise is completely erased, yet she is well aware of its impossibility. For her, the work is a continual attempt to quell inner noise and achieve tranquillity. From her earlier piece, "Digesting Noise," to "Savouring Silence," she has consistently pursued a visual exploration that transforms the tumult of the abyss into light. (...) Just as dawn inevitably leads to light, Ghil Woo Jung‘s paintings are a warm embrace rather than a shroud of darkness. The soothing colours and gentle lines in her works create a sense of calm, yet beneath them, the relentless energy of life flows. Layering multiple coats of paint is the artist’s resistance against the outside world and inner turmoil, serving as a meditative practice. The subtle lyrical energy that emanates from the canvas represents a silence stronger than any sound, the moment of stillness the artist aspires to. Ghil Woo Jung‘s works are both a destination and a waypoint on the path toward ultimate tranquillity. (...)" - by Hajin Lee, 2024