Julia Jo’s Paintings Unfold Boundless Energy at Charles Moffett

Intensely visceral and steeped in emotion, Julia Jo‘s abstract paintings are at once forceful and seductive.

From joy and desire to fear and grief, Jo’s latest works illustrate her apt skill for encapsulating the varying depths of human emotion.

Open at Charles Moffett in New York, Riptide (6 January–11 February 2023) is a presentation of dynamic work by the Seoul-born artist—her first solo exhibition with the gallery since her sensational U.S. debut at NADA New York in 2022.

The interplay between abstraction and figuration feeds into the ceaseless energy captured in Jo’s paintings. In Fish Out of Water (2022), the artist depicts a tangle of limbs with bands of teal and swirls of amber that wrap around one another, mirroring the tussle of life.

Discussing Riptide, Jo expressed her curiosity for painting the different energies conflicting feelings conjure in everyday interactions.

‘I’ve been thinking a lot about miscommunications, particularly those that exist in interpersonal relationships and interactions, whether it’s among friends, family, lovers, or strangers. There can be frustration in miscommunication, but also success and redemption, and I think painting has the unique power to manifest these conflicting truths in visual form.’

Main image: Julia Jo, Fish Out of Water (2022). Oil on linen. 203.2 x 203.2 cm. Courtesy the artist and Charles Moffett, New York. Photo: Thomas Barratt.