Kaja Clara Joo ︎
*1991 (AUT/KOR), lives and works in Vienna, Austria
IG: kaja_clara
M: kaja_clara@yahoo.de
Education
2024: Master with distinction, Fine Arts (Photography / Magister)
University of Applied Arts Vienna
2020-2021: Studies of Transdisciplinary Arts
University of Applied Arts Vienna
2011: Diploma in Graphic- and Communication- Design
Höhere Graphische Bundes-, Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt
Exhibitions (Selection)
2025
Feb: (Duo) Tyrolean Art Pavillon, Austria
Jun: Casting Currents, M10, Berlin
Jul: Art Factory Daegu, South Korea
Nov: Weaving the Presence, tba, Shanghai
Dec: Changdong MMCA Space Seoul, National Museum of Contemporary and Modern Art Korea
2024
Wherever : 순간이 새겨진 곳 / House of Lee Ungno Museum, South Korea
(Solo) Signar Taupe / University of Applied Arts Vienna
(Duo) Trespassers / Salon am Schwarzenbergplatz Vienna
2023
(Solo) Lurker / Smolka Contemporary Vienna
(Duo) Blink of an Eye / Sussudio Vienna, with Michael Kienzer
(Solo) Distant Relatives / Gallery Monitor Czech Republic
(Solo) Distant Relatives (LCB Corp) / Vitrinka Deniska Czech Republic
Alienated / Smolka Contemporary Vienna
Better together? / University of Applied Arts Vienna
Little Miss Armory / OPEN ART Summer Stage
2022
(Solo) Artist Statement / PARALLEL Vienna
(Solo) GONZO / Bildraum 07 Vienna
(Solo) HABITAT / Periscope Salzburg
(Duo) SWAB Art Fair Barcelona, with Kai Philipp Trausenegger
Art Quarter Budapest
Stones in a glasshouse / Never at Home Vienna
Lowland Stuttgart
2021
(Solo) SPARK Art Fair Vienna
(Solo) ARTE FACTUM / MQ ARTBOX Museumsquartier Vienna
(Solo) ARTE FACTUM / Smolka Contemporary Vienna
(Solo) REFLECTA / Sotheby´s Artists Quarterly Vienna
ZUKUNFTSMUSIK / Fotogalerie Vienna
Delay / Zacherlfabrik Vienna
2020
(Solo) Gallery Statement / PARALLEL Vienna
Asphalt Gallery / Angewandte Festival 2020
Pants on fire. Art and other fictions / Krinzinger Projekte
To be consumed by / Krinzinger Projekte
Ich und Welt. Post___(Im)Possibilities / Krinzinger Projekte
STAND BY / Galerie Rudolf Leeb
Editionale / University of applied arts Vienna
NOTES ON FAMINE/ Ok_transit #6 / Expositur Paulusplatz
edire! / Multiple Box (Hamburg)
2019
Farewell, you beloved piece of art / Galerie Rudolf Leeb (Vienna)
A fork in the road / Foto Vienna / International Month of Photograph
Photobook Exhibition / Foto Vienna / International Month of Photography
In der Kubatur des Kabinetts / Fluc (Vienna)
Muster Erkennung / Kunstfabrik Groß Siegharts / Vienna Biennale
Female- lebt und arbeitet in Wien / Galerie Rudolf Leeb (Vienna)
Angewandte Festival / University of Applied Arts Vienna
Vienna Art Book Fair / University of Applied Arts Vienna
Fair for Art Vienna Kunstmesse Wien / Aula der Wissenschaften
Open House / University of Applied Arts Vienna
2018
Open House / University of Applied Arts Vienna
Prototyping / Salon für Kunstbuch / Belvedere 21 (Vienna)
Fish / Galerie.Z (Vorarlberg)
Stukav Brischko / Brno House of Arts / Galerie G99 (CZ)
Nichts für ungut / Galerie Lumina (Vienna)
Rand / Atelier Nita Tandon (Vienna)
2017
Rundgang ´17 / Das rund (Vienna)
Open House / University of Applied Arts Vienna
Untitled Off course / Galerie.Z (Vorarlberg)
2016
Glance / Heiligenkreuzer Hof, International Month of Photography
Prices, Scholarships, Residencies (Selection)
2025
Seoul MMCA Residency, National Museum of Contemporary and Modern Art Korea
2024
START- Scholarship, Federal Ministry of Arts & Culture Austria
Lee Ungno Museum Residency, South Korea, Honseong- County
2022
CAPE 10 Art Award
On The Road Again Residency, Hungary, Federal Ministry of Arts & Culture Austria
2020
Project scholarship, Cultural department of Vienna
Emanuel und Sofie Fohn Scholarship
2019
Incentive grant, University of Applied Arts Vienna
2018
Merit scholarship, University of Applied Arts Vienna
Press (Selection)
→ “Tiefenbohrung in der Krise”, Tiroler Tageszeitung, Feb 2025
→ “Tipping Point Phantoms”, Les Nouveaux Riches Magazine, Feb 2025
→ “Tipping Point Phantoms”, Saliva.Live, Feb 2025
→ “The Making of an Alchemist”, Emerging Artists Series, City Transit Journal, June 2024
→ “Wherever: a place where...”, Les Nouveaux Riches, Nov 2024
→ “Interview with Kaja Clara Joo”, Kunstblick- Podcast, October 2023
→ “Kaja Clara Joo & Michael Kienzer”, Parnass Magazine, September 2023
→ “Der Horizont ist relativ vertikal”, Wiener Zeitung, May 2022
→ “Die Kunst der Finanzierung”, Der Standard, May 2022
→ “Interview mit Kaja Clara Joo”, Les Nouveaux Riches, Sept 2022
→ “GONZO”, Kuba Paris, June 2022
→ “Parallel Vienna ´22”, Munchies Art Club, Sept 2022
→ “Kunst für den Lockdown- Spaziergang”, ORF.at, April 2021
→ “Studio Visit mit Kaja Clara Joo”, Vöslauer Magazin, Sept 2021
→ “Studio Diary mit Kaja Clara Joo”, Parnass Magazine, May 2020
Kaja Clara Joos expansive, transdisciplinary works explore both physical and narrative boundaries. Cultural, social, and political behavioral patterns are central concerns in Joos artistic practice. She often works site- and space-specific. Joo graduated at the University of Applied Arts Vienna in Expanded Fine Arts Photography with honors in 2024. Her solo presentations have taken place at Sotheby’s Austria (2021), the MQ Artbox (2021), SPARK Art Fair (2021), Bildraum 07 (2022), Periscope Salzburg (2022), Gallery Monitor in Czech Republic (2023), Gallery Smolka Contemporary (2023). Dialogue exhibitions include the SWAB Art Fair Barcelona (2022) or Sussudio Artspace (2023). She received the state scholarship for Emerging artists by the Ministry of Culture and Arts Austria (2024), the Emanuel and Sofie- Fohn Scholarship (2022) and the CAPE 10 Art Award (2022). She has been awarded the Lee Ungno Museum Residency in Hongseong (2024), the ON THE ROAD Residency Hungary by the Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture (2022) or the MMCA Residency by the National Museum of Contemporary Art Korea (2025) amongst others. Her works are currently on view at the Goamhouse Museum in South Korea, her upcoming shows include a dialogue exhibition at the Tyrolean Art Pavillon in Austria and the Changdong Artspace by the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul in 2025.