Terence Koh

For the Singaporean sailor, see Terence Koh (sailor).

Terence Koh (born 1977^[1] in Beijing, China^[2] ) is a Canadian artist who has also worked under the alias "asianpunkboy".^[3] The artist's work spans a range of media, including drawing, sculpture, video, performance, and the internet. Originally working under the alias asianpunkboy, Koh designed zines and custom-made books. His recent work has expanded to include durational performances,^[4] complex installations, and the exploration of natural ecosystems.^[5] Much of his diverse work involves queer, punk, and pornographic sensibilities. In 2008, he was listed in Out magazine's "Out 100 People of the Year".^[6]

Terence Koh
Koh in 2007
Born	Terence Koh 1977 (age 46–47)^[1] Beijing, China
Nationality	Canadian
Education	Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, Vancouver and The University of Waterloo, Ontario
Known for	Sculptor, performance and installation artist
Movement	New Gothic Art
Awards	2008 Sobey Art Award Short List

Early life and education

Koh was raised in Mississauga, Ontario, and now lives in Northern California. He is a Chinese-Canadian artist who received degrees from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, Vancouver and The University of Waterloo, Ontario.

Career

 

Koh in a self-portrait

Koh's work was included in the Whitney Biennial (2004), and the Yokohama Triennial (2008).^[7] In 2008, he was a finalist for the Sobey Award.^[8] His work was the subject of solo exhibitions at MUSAC, León, Spain (2008);^[9] Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, Germany (2008);^[10] the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2007);^[11] Kunsthalle Zürich, Switzerland (2006);^[12] and the Vienna Secession, Austria (2005).^[13] His work is in the permanent collections of institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York;^[14] the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York;^[15] and the Tate Modern, London, UK.^[16]

Koh's work has been associated with New Gothic Art.^[17] In nothingtoodoo, his first solo show at the Mary Boone Gallery, Koh, "dressed in white pajamalike clothes, slowly circl[es] a beautiful cone-shaped pile of rocky solar salt — 8 feet high and 24 feet across — on his knees." So Roberta Smith described the work in an appreciative March 2011, review. "This is performance art reduced to a bare and relentless rite in a space that has been stripped down to a kind of temple. (Its regal proportions help.) ... Maybe the work is an extended apology for past bad-boy behavior."^[2] In 2008 he created the Terence Koh Show on YouTube, in which visitors to his home are either interviewed by Koh, or interview Koh themselves. Each show is usually not more than a few minutes in length. Some episodes are more abstract, such as when he plays the video forward but edits the sound to play backwards. Notable guests have included Marina Abramović, Hans Ulrich Obrist, and most recently, Lady Gaga. In the clip with Lady Gaga titled "88 pearls",^[18] Koh counts a bowl of pearls with Lady Gaga, who is wearing a costume inspired by Koh's sculpture from his project Boy By The Sea.^[19] Koh's affiliation with the pop star began at the 2010 Grammys, where Lady Gaga performed on a piano designed by Koh specifically for the occasion.^[20] In the tradition of Piero Manzoni, Koh has gold-plated and sold his own feces for a total of $500,000.00 to collectors.^[21]

References

1. "'Untitled (A New World Order Lies in this Golden Age)', Terence Koh". Tate. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
2. Smith, Roberta"Crawling for Peace in a Not-Quite Salt Mine", The New York Times, 11 March 2011, p. C21, NY ed. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
3. Cochrane, Lauren (17 July 2007). "Terence Koh's all white on the night | Art and design | guardian.co.uk". Guardian. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
4. MacQueen, Kathleen (15 March 2011). "Shifting Connections: Terence Koh". Bomb Magazine. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
5. McGarry, Kevin (25 May 2016). "An Art World Provocateur Returns to New York With an Unexpected Subject: Bees". The New York Times. New York Times.
6. "Out magazine: OUT 100 People of the Year". Out.com. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
7. "Yokohama Triennale 2008". Yokohama Triennale. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
8. "National Gallery of Canada". National Gallery of Canada. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
9. "MUSAC". Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Castilla y Leon. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
10. "Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt". SCHIRN. 28 May 2008. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
11. "Whitney Museum of American Art: Terence Koh". Whitney Museum of American Art. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
12. "Kunsthalle Zurich: Terence Koh". Kunsthalle Zurich. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
13. "secession: Terence Koh". secession. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
14. "MoMA: Terence Koh". MoMA. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
15. "Whitney Museum Collection: Terence Koh". Whitney Museum of American Art. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
16. "Tate Modern Collection: Terence Koh". Tate Modern. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
17. Gavin, Francesca. Hell Bound: New Gothic Art. London: Laurence King Publishing, 2008.
18. "Terence Koh Show – 88 Pearls". YouTube. 18 February 2010. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
19. "www.boybythesea.com". www.boybythesea.com. 27 January 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
20. "Lady GaGa 'given Grammy piano as gift'". IMDb.
21. "Financial Crisis Changing Art Gallerist's Approach To Buying, Selling Gold-Plated Excrement", Huffington Post, 11-18-08 10:58 PM updated 12-19-08 05:12 AM. Substantially quoted from: Morgan, Spencer, "The Galley Matador" 12 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Observer, 18 November 2008 3:06 p.m. Retrieved 11 March 2011.

External links

• Moran Bondaroff: Terence Koh
• Saatchi Gallery: Terence Koh
• Koh Birdy – Terence Koh Project
• New York magazine article (01/2007)
• LA Times article (05/2008)
• Times article (01/2008)