Step into the Surrealist Visual World of Cho Gi-seok
It seems that the name on nearly every K-Pop fans’ tongue is Cho Gi-seok. Giving us another glimpse into his world through the recent work he did as the art director behind Jennie’s new album trailer as well as her single ‘Zen’, Cho presents surrealist beauty in the visuals he creates. The demand for his dreamlike work both in the K-Pop sphere and beyond is not an overnight success story. The work he puts into his ethereal visual language is one that is years in the making.
Cho began his foray into the creative industry as a graphic designer but later transitioned photography. He explained to Vogue, “I looked at millions of images online, and gradually I realized that none of them told what I was familiar with. At that point, I decided to work on an iconography that spoke of the new Korean identity, of the people around me, of my most intimate emotions. And at the same time, it would address the world.” His work has been featured in multiple fashion publications including Vogue, Kinfolk, Dazed, and Wallpaper while also collaborating with brands like Gucci, Bulgari, Adidas, and Cartier.
Cho made his first big splash into music video direction in 2020 with CL’s “Post Up”, but stayed off the radar of the K-Pop world. Spending this time refocusing on his photography. In 2021, Cho shot the album artwork for Korean soloist BIBI’s EP, Life is a Bi… (2021). Between 2021-2022, his works dating back between 2018 and 2020 were exhibited at Fotografiska New York. In 2023, Cho’s photographs of Naomi Campbell took center stage as the cover of the November edition of Vogue Korea that year.
That same year he returned to music video direction with Kali Uchis’ music video for her song “I Wish You Roses”. He also photographed the artwork of the song’s encompassing album, Red Moon in Venus. The following month, the concept images of the “Bloody Rose” version of LE SSERAFIM’s first studio album, Unforgiven (2023), shot and directed by Cho, were unveiled. Audiences lauded the artistic direction of the photographs for bringing something more dark, conceptual, and intimate.
However, what really cemented his place in the K-Pop sphere of consciousness was his photographs and art direction for Red Velvet’s third studio album, Chill Kill (2023) revealed later that year. Both the title song and album’s narrative presents a dark fantasy but Cho Gi-seok’s visuals package this storyline in a beauty that seems to be frozen in time but leaves the audience anticipating something somewhat ominous to be lurking in the corners. It is also worth noting that Cho’s visual language for this album denotes a uniquely Korean nostalgia in each image.
His big return to directing music videos came with XG’s music video for their song “Woke Up” in May, 2024. Also serving as the director and photographer of the album artwork, the visuals Cho brought this time around differed from his approach with Kali Uchis. In his work for “I Wish You Roses”, Cho’s approach builds the visuals with his signature surrealist floral imagery and puts them side by side and almost in comparison with Kali Uchis’s likeness. Meanwhile, for XG’s fantastical space-bound “Woke Up”, Cho leans into the excess of the fantasy. Where other art directors may hesitate to interpret an already unbelievable concept in its totality, Cho’s maximalist take lends itself to achieving this surrealism to its full potential without sacrificing his signature preservation of beauty.
Cho takes a similar approach in the direction of Jennie’s new music video “ZEN” released on January 25, 2025. A maximalist visual buffet that is a feast for the eyes. Somewhat in juxtaposition with the song’s title, the music video is chock full of contrasting elements and leaves a mysterious impression on viewers that leaves them wanting more. The video is excess exemplified but still allows Jennie to shine as the star of the show. Cho also directed the trailer for Jennie’s upcoming album, Ruby, to be released this March. His approach for the trailer is somewhat reminiscent of what he served in the Chill Kill (2023) concept photos. An intriguing yet ominous visual display that builds anticipation.
Cho Giseok’s work is a feat of balance. His surrealist imagery has become something so intrinsically distinct in his work, easily recognizable even to those unfamiliar with his work. His visual language finds beauty even in his fantastical, almost hallucinatory, imagery. A masterful use of surrealist maximalism that allows room for a uniquely human intimacy.
