David Heo’s practice approaches image-making as both inquiry and reflection, grounded in a philosophy of observation and care. Working across painting, collage, and installation, he draws from Western art history and Korean folklore to create a visual language that merges the immediacy of gesture with quiet introspection. His compositions are stylized yet emotionally charged, often portraying figures adrift in cinematic spaces where fragments of history, memory, and myth intersect.

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Rooted in Korean iconography and guided by Jungian archetypes, Heo’s recurring symbols -- the snarling dog, anxious tiger, and fleeing rabbit -- act as totems of tension, longing, and duality. His chromatic surfaces recall Matisse’s precision of color while carrying a meditative quality, where each layer becomes both gesture and thought. This approach draws from the minimalist traditions of Dansaekhwa, reimagined through a contemporary and personal lens.

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Beyond the studio, his collaborative and site-specific projects extend this exploration into public space, transforming everyday environments into settings for collective reflection. Through this broader practice, Heo positions painting as a philosophical act that examines attention, joy, and civic empathy within the layered realities of everyday life.

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Born in Georgia and based in Chicago, David Heo is an artist whose work explores the intersections of mythology, memory, and modern identity. He holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has exhibited widely across the United States and internationally. Recent solo exhibitions include Realation Space in Seoul (2024), Hashimoto Contemporary in New York (2023), and the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids (2023). Heo’s work has also been featured in group exhibitions at the Korean Cultural Center of Chicago (2025), the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago (2022), and Half Gallery in Los Angeles (2022). His practice has received international attention, with features in Vogue Portugal, VISLA Magazine (Seoul), and more.