David Heo’s practice unfolds at the intersection of contemporary aesthetics and personal mythology, constructing a visual language that merges graphic precision with painterly restraint. His compositions -- flat yet dynamic, stylized yet intimate -- mediate between the immediacy of print culture and the tactile nuance of hand-drawn forms. Figures emerge from fragmented spaces, caught in a liminal tension between assertion and erasure, presence and myth, evoking the transience of memory and the constructed nature of cultural identity.

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Navigating a lexicon that bridges traditional Korean iconography with the ephemeral textures of contemporary urban life, Heo examines themes of nostalgia, dislocation, and desire. His engagement with opacity and transparency, surface and depth, recalls Matisse’s chromatic clarity while positioning itself within a more introspective negotiation of selfhood. At its core, his work grapples with the fluid boundaries of identity, informed by the symbolic depth of Korean art, the analytical framework of Jungian psychology, and the broader tensions of Eastern and Western heritages.

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These investigations extend beyond the studio into large-scale commissions with collaborators such as Vans and the L7 Hotel by Lotte, where his murals and installations transform public space into sites of recontextualization and collective reflection. Whether through an intimate drawing or an expansive intervention, Heo’s work fosters quiet moments of resilience and introspection, offering a counterpoint to the relentless pace of contemporary life. In this way, his practice does not seek resolution but rather constructs a space where history, memory, and cultural hybridity remain in constant negotiation.

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David Heo (b. Georgia) currently resides in the artistic hub of Chicago and holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Noteworthy solo exhibitions punctuate Heo's artistic trajectory, with displays at esteemed venues including Hashimoto Contemporary, New York (2023); The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, Grand Rapids (2023); Hashimoto Contemporary, San Francisco (2022); Vertical Gallery, Chicago (2021). Heo's creative footprint extends to esteemed group exhibitions, with his art gracing spaces like The Korean Cultural Center of Chicago, Chicago (2024); The Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago (2022); Half Gallery, Los Angeles (2022); and Unit London, London (2020).