MAM Screen 022: ikkibawiKrrr

Formed in Seoul in 2021, ikkibawiKrrr is a self-styled “visual research band” consisting of members Cho Jieun, Kim Jungwon, and Ko Gyeol.

The name ikkibawiKrr is a combination of the Korean word ikkibawi meaning a moss-covered rock, and the onomatopoeic krrr used to describe a rolling motion. Mosses inhabit the boundary between air and ground, adapting to their surroundings as they expand along borders of diverse sorts, and it is this way of being that informs the practice of Cho, Kim and Ko. A long-held special interest in tropical vegetation, and seaweed, both of which grow wild as part of the environment, aggressively expanding their boundaries, has led the collective to explore visible connections between these plants and human society and history. ikkibawiKrrr collaborate with people from all walks of life, from farmers to female divers to scholars, mainly in Asia, and as the appellation “visual research band” suggests, make musicality as central to their output as visual art.

In light-hearted works made while studying the lives of plants, as a counter to human-centric values, ikkibawiKrr help us to become more mindful of the complexity, diversity and richness of our planet.
This screening follows the trajectory of ikkibawiKrr’s career by presenting several of their works, including their latest, with a particular focus on 2022’s memorable Seaweed Story collaboration with a choir of haeneyo female divers on the Korean island of Jeju.

Works Screened

1. Seaweed Story, 2022, 5 min. 22 sec.

2. Untitled, 2023, 1 min.

3. Dances with Trash, 2024, 3 min. 20 sec.

4. Seaweed Story 2, 2022, 3 min.

5. O, Open the Doo, I Play, 2025, 5 min. 30 sec.

ikkibawiKrrr

Formed in 2021 in Seoul; based in Seoul. Members: Cho Jieun (b. 1975, Seoul), Kim Jungwon (b. 1996, Seoul), and Ko Gyeol (b. 1994, Jeju Island).
ikkibawiKrrr has participated to date in international exhibitions including the Singapore Biennale (2025), Aichi Triennale (2025), 12th Seoul Mediacity Biennale (2023), 14th Gwangju Biennale (2023), and documenta fifteen (Kassel, 2022). Their works have also been screened/shown at art institutions including the National Asia Culture Centre (Gwangju, 2025), Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (2025), Art Sonje Center (Seoul, 2024), and M+ (Hong Kong, 2024).