Hero of an archival pigment print by Kukwon Woo.

Kukwon Woo

Waterfall (Amida)

€1,500
Limited edition of 5052.1 (H) × 41.6 (W) cm
Artwork
Composition #1
Composition #2
Composition #3
Composition #4

Sold out


Love this work?

Subscribe to get notified about any cancellations and early access on next releases.

Kukwon Woo channels the sacred spirit of Japanese waterfalls in a new multi-layered print. 

Waterfall (Amida) is one of several 2025 waterfall paintings by the Korean artist, fusing inspiration from Hokusai’s historic series, A Tour of Waterfalls in the Provinces (1833-1834), with quotes from the Bible. In this particular work, Woo inscribes a passage from Psalm 23: "He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters." The juxtaposition of the Japanese master’s Ukiyo-e style with Christian scripture creates what the artist describes as an "ironic narrative",  where familiar Eastern imagery becomes a vessel for cross-cultural spirituality.

This richly textured, 13-layer archival pigment print honours the delicate beauty of traditional Japanese woodblock printmaking as well as Woo's contemporary conceptual vision.

Monochrome portrait of Woo Kokwun
Kukwon Woo9 collaborationsKukwon Woo journeys through a world full of paradoxes drawing inspiration from every encounter. He synthesises these experiences into neo-expressionist paintings full of wit and wonder. He often paints children on heroic adventures or battling everyday tasks, accompanied by animal sidekicks and fairytale friends. These images are juxtaposed with text that ranges from comedic to philosophical. The result is sometimes absurd, like a pony reading decolonial theorist Franz Fanon (I Hate Mornings, 2020). Although he’s fluent in irony, his goal is to recreate the pure expression of a child “truly immersed in a moment – happiness, joy, anger, hate, jealousy, envy, weakness.”

To get closer to pure expression, Woo unlearned the habit of writing neatly. His messy script frames many of his canvases with phrases like “a baby is God’s opinion that life should go on” (Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love your tomorrow, 2021). At face-value, it expresses Woo’s excitement as a then father-to-be. However, the words betray their writer’s awareness of life cycles and religion, and therefore mortality and morality. While works like Rainbow is Illusion (2022) are overtly cynical, the lurking existential dread is always softened by the pastel colours and rag-doll texture of Woo’s painting. Like all good fabulists, he excels at the gentle push and pull between knowledge and innocence.

Who else should know about this work?

Help us spread the word


Reviews from Avant collectors

  • i have been very pleased with my wonderful art work! communication and packaging was suberb. highly recommend

  • Excellent quality of execution - love it!

  • Overall extremely impressed with Avant Arte, especialy with the shipping/packaging and materials included with the print. Definitely care and attention to detail not typicaly associated with art of this price-level. Thank you

  • Great experience all around, thank you! I love what you do and the fact that it allows me to own artist works whose originals I wouldn't be able to afford.

  • I love it! beautifully framed.Thanks

  • Great service delivering to Australia, thrilled with the artwork. look forward to hanging it once our renovation is finished.

  • It looks great and is one of our favorite pieces to add to our collection. We think the printing looks fantastic!

  • The piece arrived very safely packaged. We haven't yet had it framed, but I'm very excited to see it hanging in our space.


Discover more print editions on Avant Arte

SPIRAL PARA EL CIELO
Available
Donna HuancaSPIRAL PARA EL CIELO€1,300
Hot blue bath
Available
Jordi RibesHot blue bath€2,000
In the Car, 1963
Draw
Roy Lichtenstein EstateIn the Car, 1963€600
Blue Pegasus
Draw
Cai Guo-QiangBlue Pegasus€1,500