Im Youngzoo
b. 1982, South KoreaIm Youngzoo is a contemporary artist whose practice explores the intersection of superstition, belief, and scientific rationality within modern society, using media ranging from video and installation to performance and virtual reality. In 2025, she was awarded the prestigious Frieze Seoul Artist Award, cementing her reputation as an important figure in Korea’s dynamic contemporary art scene.
Her works invite viewers to question the boundaries between the rational and the irrational, often drawing on collective memory and personal narrative to probe the uncertainties of both science and faith.
Background
IM Youngzoo was born in 1982 in South Korea. She studied painting at Hongik University in Seoul, where she received both her BFA and MFA. Her upbringing in a rapidly modernising society, where traditional beliefs coexist with technological advancement, has informed her ongoing interest in the persistence of irrational beliefs within scientific and rational frameworks. IM is currently based in Seoul.
IM Youngzoo Artworks
IM Youngzoo’s contemporary art practice is defined by a research-driven approach that connects spiritual and scientific domains. Her works frequently use narrative, documentary, and theatrical elements to create immersive installations and videos, reflecting on how belief systems and rituals persist in modern life.
Exploring Calming Signals (2025)
Her Frieze Seoul Artist Award commission, Calming Signal, is a three-channel video installation responding to the theme ‘Future Commons’. The work draws on the concept of ‘calming signals’—behaviours observed in domesticated dogs to de-escalate aggression, as defined by canine ethologist Turid Rugaas—and links these to human gestures and rituals during times of collective anxiety. The installation connects repetitive movements in dance and devotional practices to the earth’s rotation, visualising how societies cope with imbalance and uncertainty.
Personal and Collective Narratives
IM’s earlier exhibitions, including Mi-ryeon (Perigee Hall & Gallery, 2024), M (Outsight, 2021), and AEDONG (Doosan Gallery New York, 2019), explored the overlap of myth, memory, and science. Her art often contrasts the ambitions of modern science and technology with the persistence of irrational beliefs in daily life.
Select Public Commissions, Awards and Accolades
- Calming Signal, Frieze Seoul Artist Award Commission, COEX, Seoul (2025)
- Frieze Seoul Artist Award (2025)
- Shortlisted, Korea Artist Prize, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (2025)
Exhibitions
IM Youngzoo has been the subject of both solo exhibitions and group exhibitions. Below is a selection of exhibitions.
- Mi-ryeon, Perigee Hall & Gallery, Seoul (2024)
- M, Outsight, Seoul (2021)
- AEDONG, Doosan Gallery New York, New York (2019)
- Gristle and Synovial Fluid, Doosan Gallery, Seoul (2018)
Im Youngzoo FAQs
Where can I see IM Youngzoo’s work?
IM Youngzoo’s new commission, Calming Signal, will be presented at Frieze Seoul 2025 at COEX. Her work has also been shown at Perigee Hall & Gallery, Outsight, and Doosan Gallery in both Seoul and New York. You can follow the artist on Ocula to receive updates on upcoming exhibitions, and other relevant news.
What themes does IM Youngzoo explore in her art?
Her art explores the intersection of spiritual belief and scientific rationality, weaving together personal stories, collective memory, and speculative fiction through video, installation, and performance.
What is unique about her artistic approach?
IM Youngzoo uses a research-based process, combining documentary and narrative strategies with immersive media to reflect on how societies create meaning from the unseen and the irrational.
Has IM Youngzoo received any major awards?
She won the 2025 Frieze Seoul Artist Award and has been shortlisted for the Korea Artist Prize in the same year.
Are there any interesting facts about IM Youngzoo?
IM’s Calming Signal draws on canine ethology, specifically the concept of ‘calming signals’ in dogs, to explore how repetitive gestures and rituals help humans cope with collective anxiety.
How do you pronounce her name?IM Youngzoo is pronounced as ‘Eem Young-zoo’.
Ocula | 2025
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