Exhibition and Review: Salone Satellite, Milan April 2024
Salone Satellite,
Booth N° C29 April 16 - 21, 2024
Fiera Milano, Rho, Pavilions 5/7
Soo Joo is debuting her work in Europe at Salone del Mobile Milano 2024. Her booth at Salon Satellite will showcase a collection of bronze and wooden mirrors, benches, tables, and ceramic sculptures. Work in this collection is based on a painting or print by the artist. The three-legged Momentum Table, which was shown at the Cheongju Craft Biennale 2023, will be exhibited in bleached Hard Maple wood reminiscent of bone. Two pairs of Korean celadon table sculptures will also be exhibited for the first time.
Thoughts on the fair:
For the Salone Satellite, I chose a neutral yellow-beige paint for the booth wall. My intention was to convey a sense of warmth and hope, and a bit of playfulness by using a color that is not used often for fair booth walls. I put in effort into the the work selection and layout, the lighting, and making a flyer of the exhibited works, as I believe that the care and 진심 on presentation can be felt immediately by your viewer, and sets the environment for how they engage with the works. Nowadays, I am thinking about this idea that perhaps sincerity and 진심, something “true” is what truly moves us as humans, and what we crave for in art and in life.
How amazing it is that Salone del Mobile gathers thousands of industry professionals (and the public who loves design) every year, globally. I met with designers in Europe but also Australia, the Middle East, the UK, Ghana, the US, China, Japan and South America. Meeting diverse industry professionals at a global fair of this scale and feel their reactions, I felt so seen and ‘at peace,’ this feeling that I had not felt before exhibiting in Korea or as a student in the US. I feel thankful that the sincerity 진심 I have towards my work (biophilic design, sculptural craft, and East-Asian aesthetics) could be felt.
Looking at the booth images after the fair, I see the biophilic design method that I developed as a RISD student 10 years ago (starting with my motion bench) grow into this cohesive body of mirrors, furniture and sculptures. I made my collection as physical and visual examples of my biophilic design methods. They were made with the ambition to be timeless, question the unspoken rules of furniture design, and provide biophilic comfort to the viewer (a sense of being connected to nature.) The underlying aesthetic that guides me is based in traditional Korean art and design, and its natural respect for nature and its harmonious relationship with humans.
While exhibiting at Salone Satellite for six days, I also gained a most invaluable skill - an understanding of how to talk about my work and present it so people could easily understand the background context. Most interactions at the fair were quick, 1-2 minute conversations where the viewer has no previous background knowledge about my work. Around the third day of the fair, when viewers asked about my work, something clicked for me on what information I needed to communicate in a short sentence or two, in order to provide the context to understand my work.
It was incredible to be able to be a part of the 25th year of Salone Satellite. I heard it was the largest record number of 361,417 visitors, a great recovery since the pandemic. Through the past six days, I have bonded with my fellow exhibitors, we are all young industry professionals. It makes me saddened that this unique week we shared together is over. However, I am also excited for the future! I am looking forward to be able to create work for the people who see themselves in it, and for them to enjoy their quietest daily moments with my mirrors or furniture pieces.
Thank you to the founder of Salone Satellite, Marva Griffin, also woman of color, which I believe is a crucial part of her leadership intuition to provide opportunities for others. Thank you to the organizers of Salone Satellite, and to my parents, my mother, and my woodshop family who came all the way from South Korea (pictured all three of us in matching leather jackets!) It was a meaningful week showing my work in person and interacting with you all. Thank you to the visitors and exhibitors who made my first show in Europe an inspiring experience.
