Ji Ryoo, a multi-talented American artist of Korean descent, has established herself as a promising figure in the art world. With a background in Fine Arts from South Korea, Ji Ryoo's artistic journey began at a young age, starting her academic art practice and college preparation at just 10 years old. Her early exposure to art has shaped her unique perspective and approach to creativity.

 

Upon moving to the United States, Ji Ryoo pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts in illustration, expanding her artistic horizons to explore new mediums and ideas. It was during her time working as a 3D graphic artist in New York City that she honed her skills in resin and oil paint, developing a distinctive abstract expression style.

 

Her experience in the 2D/3D design field has allowed her to embrace technological advancements as an integral part of her artistic practice. Driven by a deep interest in perception and the complexities of reality, Ji Ryoo's work delves into the intricate interplay between the tangible (materials/body/marks/layers) and the intangible (emotion/sense/time).

 

Through her series "Light in Darkness," she employs a visual language of blues, marks, and layers as metaphors to explore these contrasting definitions. By stripping her works of imagistic references, she challenges viewers to engage with their own perceptions and aesthetics, tapping into their primal emotions, memories, and experiences.

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Today, Ji Ryoo operates her own studio in Leonia, New Jersey, where she specializes in resin, concrete, and multimedia oil painting. In addition to her artistic pursuits, she is the founder of NUART, an Advanced Fine Art Prep School catering to high school and pre-college students, and serves as the vice president of the nonprofit organization Leonia Arts. Ji Ryoo's multidimensional career reflects her passion for art education, curation, and entrepreneurship, solidifying her status as a versatile and influential figure in the art community.

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"The blue, it is my prayer, isolation and connection."

The blue of my screen is a space without light, an inner space, a breath to live in, an island, and a connection to the world. It is the sky, water, air, and abundance of light. In that blue, I communicate with myself inside. The wounds flow in different directions in the dark inner space of the screen. become different layers, visually building up the weight of the emotions and air at that moment. Momentary emotions accumulate to create me. None of them came at once. The work of drawing is an inner rest and prayer to me. It is a fierce rest to live life, not just breathing, so it was a prayer to me. I cannot live without it.

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The textures of my prayers share emotional experiences with the audience and bring back each person's personal memories through the color blue. The images are brought back by the audience themselves. The emotions of that moment, the connection with the inner self, and the moment of contact with the world, are left and engraved as traces and forms of marks on the screen. The eastern lines and traces that I have trained for a long time meet the Western oil painting technique of layering to create a combination of the East and the West on my work. Just like my current position as a Korean American.

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Ji Ryoo has cultivated a multidisciplinary practice that merges traditional and modern techniques. Having started her formal art education at the age of ten in South Korea, she later earned a BFA in Illustration in the U.S, where she broadened her creative scope. Her career in New York City as a 3D graphic artist introduced her to resin and oil painting, mediums she now uses to create abstract expressionist works. Her background in 2D and 3D design has helped her integrate digital and tactile elements, exploring the intersection between material reality and emotional perception.

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Her ongoing series "Light in Darkness" employs layered blues and gestural marks to probe the tension between isolation and connection. Eschewing literal imagery, she invites viewers to confront their inner worlds through texture and tone. Her pieces combine Eastern linework with Western oil layering, symbolizing her bicultural identity. Now based in Leonia, New Jersey, Ji Ryoo runs her own studio, directs NUART—an advanced art prep school—and serves as vice president of Leonia Arts. Her work and community leadership highlight her commitment to both creative practice and art education.

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류지는 전통적인 기법과 현대적인 기술을 유기적으로 결합한 다매체 예술 실천을 꾸준히 발전시켜 온 작가입니다. 한국에서 이른 나이에 본격적인 미술 교육을 시작하며 탄탄한 기초를 다졌고, 이후 미국으로 건너가 일러스트레이션 전공으로 미술학사 학위를 취득하며 시각예술 전반에 대한 이해를 넓혔습니다. 그녀는 회화, 드로잉, 디자인을 아우르는 시각언어를 구축하면서도 새로운 재료와 매체에 대한 실험을 두려워하지 않고 지속해오고있습니다.

뉴욕에서 3D 그래픽 아티스트로 활동하던 중 레진과 유화를 접하게 되면서, 그녀의 작업은 보다 물질적인 표현으로 확장되었습니다. 현재는 추상 표현주의 회화를 중심으로 디지털과 촉각적 요소를 결합한 작품을 선보이며, 감정과 물질 현실의 경계를 탐구하고 있습니다. 단순한 시각적 표현을 넘어, 감정과 경험, 정체성에 대한 심층적 사유를 담고 있으며, 전통과 현대, 기술과 감성, 디지털과 수작업이라는 이분법을 자유롭게 넘나드는 복합적인 예술 언어를 보여줍니다. 이러한 통합적 접근은 그녀만의 독자적인 예술 세계를 구축하게 했으며, 시공간과 문화적 경계를 넘나드는 새로운 예술적 가능성을 제시하고 있습니다.