Artist: Woo Jung Ghil

Woo Jung Ghil is a London-based painter whose work reflects a profound engagement with the meditative process of repetition, seeking 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, an intimate dialogue between herself and the canvas. 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 stillness, 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.