About
Respect & Evolution
Our manifesto
Over the years, institutions and non-profit platforms have built a significant cultural presence for Korean contemporary art in the UK, introducing generations of artists and practices to British audiences and institutions.
KOUM Partners exists for what comes next. Recognition and representation are not the same thing, and the second has not kept pace with the first. For many Korean artists and galleries seeking to work in the UK, the challenge is no longer simply visibility. It is having someone on the ground who understands how British institutions, curators and collectors reach their decisions — and who can represent their interests when it matters.
We work between the two markets. Korean galleries and artists retain us as their London representative; UK institutions and collectors come to us for informed access to Korean contemporary art. From market analysis and indicative pricing to due diligence, exhibition and institutional partnerships, and cross-border logistics through specialist partners, we provide the commercial groundwork that allows the artistic case to be heard on equal terms.
Our philosophy
The Vision · To Arise
KOUM takes its name from the Aramaic koum — “arise.” For us, this is not about elevating Korean contemporary art to someone else's standard. It is about creating the conditions in which strong work can travel: across markets, institutions and cultures, and into the conversations where its value can be properly seen.
The Aesthetic · The Elegance
KOUM also echoes the Korean word goum (고움): beauty, grace, elegance. We take that resonance seriously, but not as a prescription for what art should look like. Our interest is in work that rewards sustained attention — work with clarity of thought, integrity of material and a reason to endure beyond the moment in which it was made. We represent selectively, because attention is part of representation. We would rather represent few artists well than many adequately.
The Identity · The Provenance
In Korean names, the family name comes first. Our founder's name is KO WOORI. That sequence became part of KOUM's identity: a reminder that where something comes from matters — not as a claim to pedigree, but as part of how we understand it. In the art market, provenance is a record of passage: where a work has been, through whose hands, and under what conditions. For KOUM, the same principle applies to relationships, knowledge and the artists we represent. The name carries a second reading. In Korean, Ko-woo-ri (고우리) has the shape of a future tense — it shall be elegant. KOUM is that sentence in the present.
I came to this work as a collector. After buying my first pieces, questions followed me around — why does a work cost what it costs, and what happens to its value? I found nowhere I could comfortably ask. So I studied — history of art at Oxford, then an MA in Art Business at Sotheby's Institute — and when I couldn't find a clear route connecting collectors like me to Korean contemporary art, I built one. KOUM began with a question I couldn't get answered. I'm still answering it — from the other side now.Woori Ko MA FRSA · Founder & Principal
Our founder
Woori Ko MA FRSA
KOUM Partners was founded by Woori Ko MA FRSA. She has lived and worked in London since 2005, with two decades of business experience across the UK's commercial and creative sectors.
She built and led her own company trading between Korea and the United Kingdom in the luxury sector, managing the movement of goods, contracts and commercial relationships across two customs regimes, two legal systems and two business cultures. This practical experience forms the operational foundation of KOUM Partners.
Her approach draws on both professional practice and formal academic training. She studied history of art at the University of Oxford and later completed an MA in Art Business at Sotheby's Institute of Art, London. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA). Her first degree, a BA (Hons) in Fashion Management from London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London, began her career within Britain's creative industries.
KOUM Partners brings these perspectives together: close engagement with artworks, a clear understanding of international art markets, and practical expertise in navigating cultural and commercial exchange between Korea and the United Kingdom.
Fluent in both Korean and English, Woori works across the cultural and institutional landscapes of both countries. She recognises that Korean artists and organisations often have limited visibility into how British museums, curators, funders and collectors make decisions, while British institutions frequently encounter Korean contemporary art only through limited channels or intermediaries. KOUM Partners was established to help bridge that gap through informed advice, strategic collaboration and long-term relationships.
Her work focuses on connecting Korean artists, institutions and collectors with opportunities in the United Kingdom through artist representation, private sales, market intelligence, curatorial strategy, due diligence and institutional partnerships. By combining commercial experience with academic rigour and cross-cultural understanding, she helps clients navigate the British art ecosystem with confidence and clarity.