WOO KUKWON INTERVIEW
A longing for innocence. Rediscovering the values we lose sight of as we grow older
Introducing Nirvana (2026), a new original work created exclusively for Bang & Olufsen. To mark its unveiling, we interviewed Woo Kukwon, a distinctive voice in Korean contemporary art.
The birth of my daughter significantly changed my way of thinking.
Artists and creatives from around the world have reimagined Beosound A9 as a canvas for original works in Bang & Olufsen’s Art of the A9 series. The latest collaboration brings the distinctive vision of Korean artist Woo Kukwon to the iconic speaker.
Known for his vividly coloured, dreamlike worlds, Woo has drawn on one of his most beloved series to create a new work for this collaboration. Beneath cherry trees in full bloom, their blossoms rendered in richly textured layers of paint, a young girl inspired by his daughter appears alongside a gathering of animals. The scene invites the viewer on an inward journey. “It’s fascinating to see how a work originally created on canvas might take on new interpretations and offer different experiences when it encounters another medium,” he says.
“My work is rooted in personal experiences and memories. I often return to fundamental human emotions, a longing for innocence, feelings that are universal yet difficult to define, and values we gradually lose sight of or forget as we move through life. Above all, the birth of my daughter profoundly changed my perspective. I had always used my work to confront questions within myself, but becoming a father transformed my sense of purpose. I experienced an overwhelming love unlike anything I had known before, together with an instinctive sense of fear and awe. Watching the way she looks at the world, and witnessing her innocent curiosity, has made me reconsider things I had grown so accustomed to that I no longer questioned them, as well as things I had simply forgotten.”
Art I once encountered suddenly comes to mind, connecting with who I am today.
In a series he is currently developing, Woo explores the world of princesses, inspired by a fascination shared by many young girls around the world. His daughter is now firmly in that phase, he says with a wry smile. “I draw with my daughter. I make my own versions of her drawings, reflecting on how our perspectives differ, even when we are drawing the same thing, and how the subject appears through my eyes. Eventually, I hope to bring our two drawings together in a single work.” It is an intriguing experiment. But where do the stories behind his other works begin?
“Most of my ideas come not from deliberately searching for new subjects, but from things that have stayed with me over time. Literature, religion, philosophy, music, film and works of art leave impressions in my memory. They may suddenly return to me and connect with what I am experiencing or feeling in the present. Something I once overlooked can reappear years later with an entirely different meaning or significance. Those are the moments when I feel compelled to look at it more deeply.”
Woo studied theology at university, an experience that broadened his interest in philosophy and different cultures. Many of his works draw on motifs from traditional Korean and European stories.
Find thoughts and emotions that connect with your present self through familiar motifs.
“But I never simply reproduce the original images or stories. I look for thoughts and emotions within familiar motifs that resonate with who I am today, and reinterpret them from my present perspective. For example, now that I am a parent, returning to a classic work of literature about love and sacrifice reveals meanings that are entirely different from those I found before. Sometimes I bring together motifs from completely different origins. Different eras and cultures may meet, or I might place a familiar image alongside a character behaving in an unexpected way, a different event or theme, or something drawn from my own experience.
This shifts the meanings we have attached to what is familiar and creates new relationships. I am interested in the irony and the stories that emerge from those relationships. That is why my experiences with my daughter have had such a profound influence on my work. By seeing everyday things from her perspective, and watching how she accepts them without preconceptions, I have come to see familiar stories and images with fresh eyes. My work emerges through a process in which memories, images and impressions accumulated over many years meet my experiences in the present, intertwine with the emotions that shape who I am today, and begin to connect with one another.”
Exploring what emerges when different cultures come together
Woo has also developed a series referencing the work of Katsushika Hokusai. When he learned that the new collaboration piece would be exhibited in Japan, he incorporated several Japanese motifs into the artwork.
“The day after completing my military service, I left for Europe. When I returned home, I went straight to Japan. I did not have a particular purpose in mind; more than anything, I felt a need to get away. I was born into a Christian family and raised in the faith, so Western culture had a strong influence on me. I also studied theology in my twenties. Japan has a large population and economy, yet, unusually for a major country, a very small Christian population. I found this intriguing. As I began studying Japanese religious beliefs, I came to understand the richness of a culture shaped by reverence for nature. In paying homage to Katsushika Hokusai while incorporating religious elements, I wanted to explore what could emerge from bringing different cultures together.”
Recall a time when you felt free and at peace.
At the same time, Woo is drawn to subjects with universal appeal, such as cherry blossoms.
“I lived for many years on Yeouido, which is known for its cherry blossoms, and there was a row of cherry trees right beside my home. Painting them therefore came quite naturally to me. Of course, I have also created works featuring many other flowers. Familiar motifs appear frequently in my paintings, but they are not intended to communicate a single, fixed meaning. We do not experience things simply as they are. We encounter them through the experiences, memories and knowledge we have accumulated over time. The same subject can therefore evoke different interpretations and emotions depending on each person’s background. I find it fascinating that we can each discover something different in the same image. Rather than offering one definitive interpretation, I prefer to leave space for others to find their own.”
For this edition of Art of the A9, Woo has chosen to explore the idea of Nirvana: a state of complete inner peace, free from restlessness and attachment.
“I think we all have moments when we want to step away from the weight of reality and forget everything for a while. Resting beneath a cherry tree in full bloom might seem like a simple, everyday pleasure, far removed from anything sublime. But perhaps that is precisely why, in that moment, we can feel that nothing more is needed. The Nirvana I imagine is less a distant ideal than the sense of peace and freedom we sometimes experience in everyday life: being fully present, without any particular purpose, simply surrendering ourselves to the moment. I hope that those who encounter this work can set aside their other thoughts, even briefly, and remember a time when they felt truly at peace and free.”
Beosound A9 Wookukwon Edition
Your Mind is Nirvana
Created exclusively for Bang & Olufsen, Nirvana (2026) is a new original work by Woo Kukwon, one of the most distinctive voices in Korean contemporary art.
Soft pink petals drift across a serene picnic scene alongside the handwritten phrase “your mind is nirvana,” capturing a moment of inner stillness, freedom, and imagination.
Reimagined on the iconic circular canvas of the Beosound A9, Woo’s new work moves beyond the visual and into the realm of sound. Its gentle painterly rhythm meets Bang & Olufsen’s rich, immersive sound, transforming the A9 into a collectible art object where contemporary Korean art, sound, and design come together.
Orders and In-store Experience
Orders open at stores across Japan on 9 November, with delivery expected in mid-December.
Discover the edition at our Omotesando store from 9 November, before it travels to Umeda, Hankyu and Matsuya Ginza, in that order. Experience this distinctive meeting of art and sound in person.
Join the House of Bang & Olufsen
Be the first to enjoy new and limited products, exclusive events, special offers and much more.