Jireh Koh (b. 1991) is a multidisciplinary artist, musician, curator and Arts educator whose practice spans across art forms and traditions. Starting out as a classical painter and vocalist, he has since expanded into many mediums including sculpture, installation, video, sound, and performance art, presenting his work overseas and locally.

​

Jireh graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London with a Bachelors of Fine Art (Honours) in 2017. In his eclectic practice, Jireh weaves between the disciplines of visual art, music, movement and performance-making, drawing inspiration from fields of knowledge such as the natural sciences, biology, astronomy, psychology, cognitive science, comparative mythology, theology, philosophy and more.

 

He is interested in the process of mark and meaning-making, as well as the role of myth and ritual across cultures - of the experience of art as an essential way of knowing beyond the conceptual and prepositional, through symbol and affect. He is also interested in the occult potentials of art, in which art can conceal and reveal deeper meanings through the emergent relationship with the viewer in the process of encounter.

​

As a musician and sound artist, Jireh draws influences from diverse sources for his compositions and musical explorations, ranging from Western Early Church Music to World Music. He specialises in sacred and folk vocal traditions around the world. His sonic vocabulary ranges from Opera, Carnatic singing, Tibetan and Tuvan throat singing and Nanyin, to name a few. In his sound art and experimental music, he also experiments with technology such as live-looping and cymatics, bringing together the East and the West, the Contemporary and the Classical. His interdisciplinary works has been featured at events such as Liveloop:Asia (Singapore), Garden Beats Festival, Singapore Art Week, Makers Faire and MakerLand, exhibiting and performing at venues such as The Substation, Kult Kafe, Science Centre (Singapore), JI Expo (Jakarta) and more.

​

Besides his Arts practice, Jireh is heavily involved in his efforts with the Arts community. He is the Communications and Programmes Manager of the Independent Archive Ltd., a grounds-up initiative focused on documenting time-based art practices, founded by the late artist and Cultural Medallion recipient Lee Wen. He is also the Youth Programmes Manager of the International Arts and Culture Federation (Singapore).

 

Notable curatorial and directorial projects include co-convening the Rhizome Conference (2020), a community of inquiry in the field of performance-making, Power Play (2020) - Invisible Lines, an international contemporary art festival exploring the dynamics of power through the playful possibilities of contemporary art, as well as A Winter’s Journey (2022), an interdisciplinary Classical Music recital and Fine Art exhibition advocating for mental health issues.

 

Through his art and efforts with the community, Jireh hopes to bridge people and practitioners of different cultures, generations and disciplines to foster an environment of inclusivity, collaboration and experimentation.