Ju Yun

Brief description of exhibition

The Workhouse Arts Center is proud to present In-Between Places, a solo exhibition by Ju Yun. Ju Yun was born and raised in Korea before immigrating to the United States of America, creating a sense of a hybrid identity within her life and artwork. Her work reflects the transition between traditional Korean art to contemporary subjects and methods using cultural imagery and iconography and rich layers of colors. Yun continues to navigate the concept of a dual identity in her most recent work by creating layered compositions of paint, polymer clay, found and recycled objects to physically change an object with a preexisting identity into something else.

Artist Statement

I was born and raised in South Korea before immigrating to United State of America. I am constantly reminded of how it feels to be between two polarizing worlds. Transitioning between traditional Korean art and wholly contemporary subjects and methods embraced within that in-between space, I often find a sense of spirituality and a great source of creativity.

My earlier work shows rich layers of colors. Inside the visual space of the picture, the line can exist absolutely as its own epitome. At the same time, my idiosyncratic approach and nod towards western formalism is also entirely modern in tone.

Moving to another country and having to take on and adapt to a different culture and lifestyle can also impact on personal identity. I explore this various aspect of hybrid identity which I am investigating through my mask projects that layered compositions of polymer clay and found objects to make art and changing something that already has an identity into something else and that something else influence others.