Choi WoolGa

Choi Woolga is a painter trained in Western painting. He completed his studies at the École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts de Versailles.

Born in Ulsan in 1956 and raised in Busan, Choi grew up as the youngest of four children in a family with a background in the Enlightenment movement, under a father who worked as an interpreter. Rather than focusing on academic studies, he spent his youth immersed in literature and music, often staying up through the night, and was considered a rebellious figure within his household.

In his late twenties during the 1980s, he moved to Paris, where he first encountered and fully embraced the world of art, beginning his path as a painter. After spending fifteen years working in Paris, he relocated to New York in 2000, in his mid-forties. It was there that he developed his now-recognized “Black and White” series, which brought him critical attention.

His paintings are characterized by the spontaneous appearance of symbols and text, along with a restrained use of monochromatic fields and linear expression that resist layering or overlap. These elements reflect a deeply internalized sensibility rooted in his early engagement with literature, translating narrative impulses into visual form.

Since his first solo exhibition, Choi has published eight monographs and has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions across Korea, New York, Paris, and Japan.