Sangwoo Yoo
Sangwoo Yoo is a Seoul-born, Chicago-based interdisciplinary artist whose work explores ephemerality, materiality, and ecological cycles through sculpture and installation. His practice investigates how natural objects shift within cultural contexts, revealing the essential values lost in the process. Rooted in material innovation, he develops sustainable substances that embody life and mortality, integrating them into his work to reflect social and ecological realities. He earned a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the United States and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Environmental Sculpture from the University of Seoul in Korea.
Yoo has been awarded fellowships from the Eldon Danhausen Foundation, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, MASS MoCA, Loghaven, and the Vermont Studio Center. He has also been nominated for the AICAD Post-Graduate Teaching Fellowship and the MFA Fellowship in Painting and Sculpture at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His accolades include the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts Award, the Kumho Young Artist Award, second place in the William and Dorothy Yeck Award, and the Grand Prize at the Hoguk Art Exhibition in Korea. His award-winning work is part of the collection of The War Memorial of Korea in Seoul.
In 2025, Yoo is set to present a solo exhibition at the Kumho Museum of Art in Seoul and a duo exhibition at RHAA Gallery in Chicago. He has previously held solo exhibitions at Comfort Station Gallery and SITE Gallery in Chicago, as well as Dos Gallery and Red Brick Gallery in Seoul. Additionally, his works have been exhibited at prominent Korean institutions such as The War Memorial of Korea, the United Nations Peace Memorial Hall, the Yanggu Humanities Museum, and the Chuncheon National Museum.
Portrait of Loss (dust), 2023. Discarded Christmas tree. Dimensions variable. Image courtesy of the artist.
Portrait of Loss (When the Land Became a Vessel), 2023. Dustized Christmas tree returned to the Colorado forest where the tree originated. 354 x 118 in. Image courtesy of the artist.
Portrait of Loss (incense), 2023. Incense cone of discarded Christmas tree burned in Colorado forest where tree originated. 3/4 x 1/2 x 1/2 in. Image courtesy of the artist.
Portrait of Loss (When the River Cradles Wishes), 2025. A single-channel video showing paper boats made from discarded plants and flowers collected in public gardens, returning to the environment. 6 ft, 12 in. Image courtesy of the artist.
Portrait of Loss (Whispers of the Faded), 2024. Windmills and sails made from discarded Christmas trees, River Cane, bells, metal pins, wire and wind. Dimensions variable. Image courtesy of the artist.
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