Choe U-Ram

Place: Seoul

Born: 1970

Biography:

U-Ram Choe (born 1970) is a South Korean artist based in Seoul, South Korea. He is known for his kinetic sculptures that push the genre of moving kinetic art toward its newer-generation iterations, such as robotic art. His sculptures' skeletal systems often expose the mechanisms of its movement by laying bare its machine of motors, gears, and drives, while minimally relying upon a CPU to direct their system. Many of these mechanical elements are custom-made, and the external materials are often hand-crafted with special finishes. Often referred to as a sculptor who creates mechanical life, Choe models the movement of many of his works after living creatures, but also fantastically combines elements of different lifeforms. Though the focus of Choe's practice has shifted from animal life to human society in recent years, across the arc of his practice the machine has served as a both reflection of human desire and an extension of humankind.