Vibes and Vistas Korean Art Magazine - Issue 4

Page 1


NAHYUN KIM / PAGE 22

Activate Your Inner Visuals

Stare in the Face of Virtual Insanity

HONGIL YOON / PAGE 56

YULA KIM / PAGE 96 Take Flight in Skies of Solidarity JULY 2024

LONGING TO

P/04 DAVID HEO A THIRD CULTURE COLLAGE

CONTENTS

P/22 NAHYUN KIM THE REALM OF INNER VISUALS

P/44 JOONHONG MIN CROSSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

P/64 SOOHOON LEE THROUGH THE KEYHOLE

P/86 EUN MI HOWIE THE LANGUAGE OF HIDDEN SENSES

P/14 SOJIN PARK HEARTS IN MOTION

P/32 SIYOUNG YANG WHEN WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH

P/56 HONGIL YOON THE COMPLETE ME

P/74 YEONHYE PARK FROM TRADITION TO INVENTION

P/96 YULA KIM TAKING FLIGHT

STEWART COLLINS, Editor-in-Chief

JIWON KIM, Head Curator

ARTWORKS: DAVID HEO / EUN MI HOWIE / HONGIL YOON / JOONHONG MIN / NAHYUN KIM / SIYOUNG YANG / SOJIN PARK / SOOHOON LEE / YEONHYE PARK / YULA KIM ©

EDITOR’S NOTE

Dear Readers,

In Issue 4, we celebrate visual art’s potential to spark emancipatory possibilities in the lives of Korean transnational artists. For the ten artists in this edition, the performative and material nature of art has enabled them to problematize, blur and transcend the boundaries of belonging. By interweaving diverse intercultural experiences into their works, they reveal hybrid streams of consciousness and invite the viewer into a collection of unique journeys of discovery. I would like to ask you to immerse in the stories of their surroundings and connect with the deeply personal, multilayered, and dynamic flow of their daily lives on the move. Indeed, it is my sincere hope that this edition will resonate with anyone who has found themselves away from home, amplifying marginalized voices, and spreading a sense of hope and possibility to those of us who quite simply long to belong.

vibesnvistas.com vibesnvistas

DAVHEO Conquest (2024). Mixed Media, Graphite, Acrylic, and Oil on Canvas. 218.44 x 284.48cm.

DAVID HEO

A THIRD CULTURE COLLAGE

A native of the state of Georgia, David Heo holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and now resides in the heart of the Windy City’s artistic hub.

David is heavily influenced by his parents, in particular their enduring capacity to effortlessly combine elements of the “American” experience into their identities as firstgeneration immigrants. He also appreciates their commitment to preserving and passing on Korean traditions to their children, in turn forging a pathway along which he could openly explore his hybridized identity as a Korean-American artist. Nowadays, David is able to draw upon two cultural access points with ease, flicking both switches in unison, and navigating the intersections of Eastern and Western lived experiences as he goes.

Looking Up (2022). Mixed Media and Painted Paper Cutouts on Paper. 30.4 x 22.8cm.

FOR DAVID, COLLAGE IS A MEDIUM THAT REFLECTS ASPECTS OF THE SELF AS WELL AS THE DUALITIES OF HEROISM AND CONFLICT THAT UNDERSCORE AMERICAN AND KOREAN HISTORIES AND FOLKLORE. INDEED, PAINTING, DRAWING, RIPPING, AND CUTTING OUT PIECES FROM A SINGLE SOURCE, ONLY TO REPEATEDLY ADD THEM TO ANOTHER UNTIL THEY CRYSTALLIZE INTO A SEAMLESS WHOLE, IS A POIGNANT AND POETIC PROCESS THAT MIRRORS THE THIRD-CULTURE HUMAN EXPERIENCE OF IDENTITY FORMATION AND BELONGING.

Take it Back (2023). Oil on Canvas. 76.2 x 76.2cm.

WARMTH (2022)

the great White (2024). Mixed Media, Graphite, Acrylic, and Oil on Canvas. 233.6 x 132cm.

In the end, it is the subtle votives and vibrant stories that emerge from David’s layered works that stop the viewer in their tracks, inviting them into a one-of-akind and affectionately choreographed dance between abstraction and biography.

Kinship (2021). Mixed Media and Painted Paper Cutouts on Paper. 30.4 x 22.8cm.
Heart Rate (2024). Oil, Acrylic, Oil Stick, Crayon, and Charcoal on Canvas. 175.2 x 109.2cm.

SOJIN_ASSEMBLEDHALF

SOJIN PARK

HEARTS

Following her relocation to Germany, Sojin Park studied at ESMOD Berlin and went on to launch her own art and fashion label known as Assembled Half. For Sojin, threads are tools that connect us to and break down the gap between reality and the invisible world. While paint may serve to intertwine and permeate lines, threads pass seamlessly between them and tear apart the gaps in between. In close-up, threads entangle across the canvas, yet from afar, they appear to come together miraculously as a whole. In this sense, Sojin’s quirky, handcrafted mixed-media pieces are woven with the beauty of synthesis, as well as the holistic essence of Korean “Bibim” or mixed culture.

Spending prolonged periods in different regions and cultures, Sojin often felt as though she was “constantly coming full circle.” Emerging from the periphery, she gradually works her way in, only to pivot and move from the inside-out once more. Rather than adhere to predefined roles, accept painful demands, or seek solace in ideologies and empty social ties, Sojin remains a “heart in motion,” forever crossing borders and seemingly stranded like a ghost between chaotic worlds.

SOMETHING BETWEEN, TO BE BETWEEN, IF IT’S BETWEEN (2021)

Acrylic, Pen, and Thread on Canvas. 200 x 160cm.
ACRYLIC AND PEN ON CANVAS
BLACK SEA (2019) 160 X 150CM

SOMETHING BETWEEN, TO BE BETWEEN, IF IT’S BETWEEN (2023)

MIXED

In her “Something Between, to be Between, if it’s Between” series, Sojin’s subjects manifest as “monsters of division and wandering prophets.” They are those destined to lacerate openings between worlds, spaces for the incompatible ones who float, blend, and protrude in and out against the grain. Although they may never settle down or find stability by conventional standards, they will always be extraordinary characters with multiple identities, bravely forging cracks and visualizing in plain sight the human dilemmas of our time.

Something Between, To Be Between, If It’s Between (2023). Mixed Media on Canvas. 50 x 50cm.
Floating Clouds (2020). Acrylic and Pen on Paper. 60 x 50cm.
Acrylic and Pen on Paper. 60 x 50cm.
FLOATING CLOUDS (2020)
Acrylic, Pen, and Thread on Cotton. 195 x 175cm.
SOMETHING BETWEEN, TO BE BETWEEN, IF IT’S BETWEEN (2018)

NAHYUN KIM

THE REALM OF INNER VISUALS

Rooted (2023). Oil Paint and Oil Pastel on Wood Panel. 30.48 x 25.4cm.

Nahyun Kim is a Korean-American artist who creates from the basis of lived experiences. Her portfolio stands as an affirmation of life, an expression of cultural identity, and a bold testament to personal growth and creative transformation. As someone who immigrated to a predominantly white suburban town in California at the tender age of ten, Nahyun

was unable to comprehend or communicate fluently upon arrival. Forced to amplify her intuition, she nurtured a vivid imagination with which to fill in the gaps. In doing so, Nahyun experimented with her “inner visuals,” getting to grips with an internal landscape composed of memories, subconscious visions, and the afterglow of daydreams gone by.

A Pact Before Birth (2023). Oil Paint on Canvas. 40.64 x 50.8cm.

Nahyun is also inspired by Korean artist Chun Kyung Ja, a thought-provoking trailblazer whose paintings evoke an incredible amalgamation of joy, pain, and wonder in the context of the colonial experience. Likewise, art for Nahyun is also an agent of transformation, a mode of gender-based resistance, and a critique of the Western male gaze that so often fetishizes East Asian women as passive objects of desire.

Following the move, Nahyun’s mother was the only Korean woman in her life. In fact, her mother’s strength, resilience and compassion, alongside the tantalizing spirit of ancestral connections profoundly influenced her creative trajectory. In the presence of Korean superstitions, shamanistic rituals, and folk tales handed down, Nahyun came to envisage and depict the “past lives” she once shared with her mother. For her, it is this karmic connection that has enabled the two of them to support one another through the most hectic and tumultuous of times.

Still Here (2022). Oil Paint on Canvas. 60.96 x 60.96cm.
Two Shells (2023). Oil Paint on Canvas. 30.48 x 30.48cm.
Squatting (2024). Oil Paint on Canvas. 121.92 x 91.44cm.

AS FERTILE SPACES OF ABUNDANCE AND PRESERVATION, NAHYUN’S LANDSCAPES SERVE AS SANCTUARIES WHERE FEMALE BODIES CAN FEEL EMPOWERED TO LEAN INTO AND RECLAIM A SENSE OF FEMININITY AND SENSUALITY.

Daeboreum (2.5.2023) (2024). Oil Paint on Canvas. 91.44 x 152.4cm.

Through bodies of water, Nahyun encourages others to embrace the unknown and surrender themselves to the depths beneath. It is only then that one can transcend vulnerabilities, disrupt exclusionary discourses, and rediscover, redefine, and reproduce their hybrid identities on their own terms.

(2023). Oil Paint on Canvas. 27.94 x 35.56cm.

SIYOUNG YANG

WHEN WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH

Having been diagnosed with autism at the age of five, developmental disabilities and a lack of linguistic skills often hindered Siyoung Yang’s ability to relate in the social world. Fortunately, art graced his life and emerged as a means for him to communicate previously muted sentiments, an experimental spirit, and a beautiful mind so often marginalized and overlooked.

Korean Ink on Paper. 68 x 49cm.
MOMMY, DADDY, CLICK THE SHUTTER (2018)

In 2018, Siyoung spent a month in Goa as part of a young artist incubator. Alongside his global contemporaries, he spent the days mingling, meditating, and musing over the pristine expressions of nature all around. Fast-forward to 2022, and Siyoung immersed in New York’s cuttingedge art scene for six months, visiting mega galleries like Hauser & Wirth, interacting with the street art of Chelsea NYC, and imbibing the sheer elegance of billboards in Times Square. Most recently, he participated in a solo exhibition at the Korean Cultural Center in Istanbul, arriving early to sample high-tier Islamic culture and flaunt his impressions in a typically playful and unpretentious fashion.

Four Flowers (2018). Korean Ink on Paper. 68 x 68cm.
Thinking Frog (2018). Korean Ink on Paper. 68 x 68cm.
Beautiful Butterfly (2018). Korean Ink on Paper. 68 x 68cm.
Meditative Bull (2018). Korean Ink on Paper. 68 x 68cm.
With a Doggy on Goa Beach (2018). Korean Ink on Paper. 137 x 69cm.
Mixed Media on Canvas. 60.6 x 60.6cm.
WOMAN 1 (2022)

AS A VISITOR IN FOREIGN LANDS, THE ABSENCE OF LANGUAGE WAS OFFSET FOR SIYOUNG, ARTISTIC COMMUNICATION BECAME SMOOTHER, AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, PASSERS-BY EMPATHIZED WITH HIS CREATIVE FLAIR WITHOUT PREJUDICE OR RESISTANCE.

Mixed Media on Canvas. 183 x 153cm.
LV WOMAN (2022)
Korean Ink on Paper. 68 x 68cm.
A RAINY DAY WITH MY GIRLFRIEND SEHEE (2018)
Korean Ink on Paper. 68 x 68cm.
SELF-PORTRAIT (2017)

Wandering more than 10,000 steps per day, Siyoung observes the trees and flowers, frolics with animals in the streets, and greets people in the neighborhood in his own way. Often defined as a “Heartism” artist, his stereotype-defying body of work reinterprets real events, symbolic references, experiences, and memories with intimate honesty and youthful exuberance. His exaggerated forms and wonderfully relatable subjects constitute an exceptional sphere of belonging, as seen through the unique eyes of a truly transnational savant.

Mixed Media on Canvas. 89 x 72cm.
LOOK AT MY BAG (2022)
Lego Girl (2022). Mixed Media on Canvas. 89 x 72cm.
Consternation Life Style II (2023). Acrylic and Pen on Wooden Panel. 29.7 x 21 x 2cm.

JOONHONG MIN

CROSSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

Beginning in 2014 and guided by his studies in London, Joonhong Min’s semi-abstract installations, paintings, and videos have taken buildings, construction materials and physical sites as points of inspiration. Since the global pandemic in 2020, intense periods of lockdown and online immersion have motivated him to re-interpret urban life in the context of the virtual spaces that so often paralyze his sense of reason and thought.

Acrylic and Pen on Wooden Board. 59.4 x 84 x 3cm.
THE SLEEK ALTAR, PART I (2024)

Saturated by the transmission of ads, products, and people on social media, as well as algorithms that filter out global truths in favor of sweet-scented filler, Joonhong experienced firsthand how internet trends and platform capitalism are commodifying cultures and datafying their original forms. In his Covid collection, he portrays the ways incarcerated individuals selected, consumed, and excreted these cultural products in a way that compounded urban hysteria and drove communities apart.

LIQUID PURGATORY (2023)

ACRYLIC AND PEN ON WOODEN SCULPTURE, DIGITAL PRINT AND SINGLE CHANNEL MONITOR

250 X 300 X 4CM

Acrylic and Pen on Wooden Panel. 59.4 x 42 x 4cm.
CONSTERNATION LIFESTYLE II (2023)

CONSTERNATION LIFESTYLE I (2023)

Joonhong contorts concrete architectural forms into simulations where human figures undergo multiple disjointed vanishing points and uncomfortable combinations. Processed, edited, and disseminated amidst chaotic digitalscapes, these materialistic protagonists are rendered anonymous, or at best, dramatically fragmented replicants for whom brushes with diversity and the sanctity of belonging mean very little at all.

Utopian Complex II (2021). Pen and Acrylic on Paper. 50 x 100cm.
Acrylic and Pen on Wooden Panel. 29.7 x 21 x 2cm.
Utopian Complex I (2021). Pen and Acrylic on Paper. 50 x 100cm.

AND_THE_RAVEN

Dream of Jealousy (2024). Oil on Canvas. 72 x 128cm.

HONGIL YOON

THE COMPLETE ME

Created during his time in Scotland, Hongil Yoon’s paintings penetrate into the culturally-specific ways that people articulate their place in the digital world. Influenced by a passion for electronic engineering as well as a penchant for Highland musing, he questions the prospect of challenging digital hierarchies and thus adapting, redefining, and rediscovering one’s true self on the go.

In stark contrast to Seoul, the hi-tech metropolis with a deeprooted online sensitivity and zeal, Glasgow appeared to Hongil as a city closer to nature. For him, it was novel and somewhat refreshing to live in a society where individuals prioritize direct communication and factor in generous periods of detachment from the allure of digital devices.

A Fall of Freewill (2024). Oil on Canvas. 81 x 144cm.

While the average Seoulite is accustomed to fast-paced digital trends, Glaswegians aspired to a sense of privacy and reprieve from the neon glare of the information age. Once an impressionable soul on the verge of technological over-reliance, Hongil’s digital interactions soon diminished, and his more introspective, measured, and sensitive persona began to break through.

A Fear of… (2024). Oil on Canvas. 36 x 64cm.

Through his disorienting works, Hongil wrestles with the ways digital technology has created in him a confusion in values, assaulting his senses and stifling the natural evolution of his identity. Employing a distorted, glassy, and fluid style, the relationship between his blocked spatial backgrounds and fractured human figures is thrown into a state of disarray. Expressionless, they capture Hongil’s own loss of subjectivity, and the lingering shadow of incompleteness that haunts so many in our digital age.

In This Sleep (2024). Oil on Canvas. 27 x 48cm.
Perfect Excuse (2023). Oil on Canvas. 54 x 96cm.
To the End (2024). Oil on Canvas. 81 x 144cm.
Melting Hollow (2022). Oil on Canvas. 36 x 64cm.

60 VIBES AND VISTAS

SOOHOONLEEE

SOOHOON LEE

THROUGH THE KEYHOLE

Having studied photography and majored in installation and media studies in Seoul, Soohoon Lee took the plunge and relocated to Austria. He has since fleshed out a cartoon-esque universe in which collectives of imaginary characters reside.

Keyring World (2023). Acrylic on Canvas. 50 x 100cm.
KEY VS KEYRING (2023)
Acrylic on Canvas. 110 x 90cm.

As an outlandish extension of his inner self, Soohoon’s subjects represent the convoluted emotions he feels across borders. Their many colors manifest as emotional temperatures, the shades of which shed light on his student life at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, as well as the contradictions that arise while reading himself into the fabric of Viennese culture. In order to feel at home, one must first be able to do so.

Indeed, to be considered as a citizen, newcomers far and wide are required to navigate the obligations, restrictions, and exclusionary boundaries of place. In many respects, the jarring and almost psychedelic nature of his paintings is a protest against the preposterous proposition that as a foreigner, he must work harder than everyone else simply to survive.

DISCOMBOBULATED BY INEQUALITIES ON THE GROUND, SOOHOON FELT INCREASINGLY DETACHED FROM THE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION THAT ONCE EPITOMIZED HIS AUSTRIAN DREAM. AS NEGATIVITY ESCALATED, THE GREEN-EYED MONSTER COMPELLED HIM TO OVER-INFLATE THE PRIVILEGES OF OTHERS, AND GRAVITATE BACK TO FAMILIAR, ALBEIT INSULAR SOUTH KOREAN SHORES.

Keyring Crush (2023). Acrylic on Canvas. 60 x 100cm.
Acrylic on Canvas. 50 x 50cm.
SUITABLE KEY (2024)

The emotional tumult is often so severe that it immobilizes Soohoon, preventing him from making rational decisions. As incapacity prevails, he is no longer able to slip through cracks of opportunity in front of his very eyes. Rather than repress the rage, Soohoon sublimates it through the keyhole and into his trademark works. He searches creatively for the master key of selfhood, unlocking pathways in new and empowering directions between the here, there, now, and then.

KEY FOR A KEYRING

Acrylic on Canvas. 100 x 70cm.
(2023)
Acrylic on Canvas. 80 x 60cm.
BIRTH OF THE KEY (2023)

YEONHYE_PARK

YEONHYE PARK

FROM TRADITION TO INVENTION

The privilege of studying across borders in South Korea, China and the United States exposed Yeonhye Park to a host of eclectic artistic scenes. Her journey through educational settings and diverse cultural backdrops broadened her perspective, enriching her creative voice in harmony with the strangers and significant others she encountered along the way. In 2010, Yeonhye kicked off an MFA at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing at a time when investments in Chinese art were reshaping the local landscape. As prestigious international galleries flooded in and markets fluctuated, a paradoxical reality unfolded where certain artists thrived at the detriment and exploitation of the masses.

Although her art practice in East Asia took on non-traditional forms as influenced by French Expressionism, Yeonhye’s material preferences saw her boxed into the predefined category of a “traditional painter.” To upset the status quo, she ended up moving to the United States to pursue a second MA in Studio Art at Penn State. Ironically, Yeonhye’s new audience often essentialized her work through the lens of her Korean heritage. Nonetheless, interdisciplinary art-making under the esteemed mentorship of artists such as Helen O’Leary and Bonnie Collura enabled her to expand her visual language and create beyond the narrow confines of cultural frameworks.

Sagging Bud (2021). Glazed & Underglazed Cone 04 Stoneware. 44.5 x 35.6 x 22.9cm.

Strands (2022). Glazed & Underglazed Cone 04 Stoneware, Wood, and Nichrome Wire. 160 x 122 x 122cm.

BODY POT

ACRYLIC ON CANVAS
HARRISON AND JOJO (2021)
120 X 188CM

IN YEONHYE’S GROUNDBREAKING PORTRAIT SERIES, SHE DEPICTS INDIVIDUALS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS ON SHAPED WOODEN PANELS. RATHER THAN HYPERBOLIZE THEIR ORIENTATION OR ACCENTUATE THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN, SHE CAPTURES THE RICHNESS AND SINCERITY OF THEIR INNER WORLDS INSTEAD.

ON CANVAS

119.5 X 106.5CM

ACRYLIC
JOJO (2021)
ACRYLIC ON MDF, WOOD, AND GLAZED & UNDERGLAZED CONE 04 STONEWARE
PIPE, HIGHBALL, SMOKE (2022)
100 X 87CM

NO RED IN HIS WORLD (2023)

66 X 79 X 10CM

ACRYLIC AND MASON STAIN ON MDF, WOOD, AND GLAZED & UNDERGLAZED CONE 01 STONEWARE

In her latest project entitled “Memory Loop,” Yeonhye leverages childhood memories as tangible materials, weaving these fragments nostalgically into mixed media paintings set within distinctive ceramic frames. As well as encasing her pieces, these frames add depth and sculptural dimensionality in a way that synchronizes the dialogue between past and present, and complements the personal narratives within. Nowadays, Yeonhye proudly identifies as a visual artist who embraces a kaleidoscope of life experiences and creative ambitions. Irrespective of the medium, for her, “the more personal the expression, the more universal its appeal.”

ACRYLIC ON MDF AND GLAZED & UNDERGLAZED CONE 04 STONEWARE

52 X 48CM

ABYSS (2023)

(2023)

ACRYLIC AND MASON STAIN ON MDF, WOOD, AND PAPER CLAY WITH GLAZED CONE 01

EUN MI HOWIE

THE LANGUAGE OF HIDDEN SENSES

Born in South Korea, Eun Mi Howie is currently based in London where she studied fine art at London Metropolitan University. During her impromptu photographic walks, Eun Mi interacts with and captures the unbridled dynamism of her natural surroundings. She defers to relational ecologies and the energies of more-than-human actors that root her to strange new settings far from home. Without notice, the power of the wind cuts through time and space, opening portals to pastures of reverie and repose where childhood memories echo amidst the melodies of the birds.

Back in the studio, Eun Mi photocopies a chosen photograph and draws on it spontaneously using charcoal. She then photocopies it again on tracing paper before diluting the end result in lukewarm water. In many respects, working with charcoal is an organic, tactile, and meditative experience, helping Eun Mi to express corporeal emotions and unlock what she refers to as “the language of hidden senses.”

The Edges (2020). Mixed Media on Tracing Paper. 21 x 30cm.
Smoky Figure (2020). Mixed Media on Tracing Paper. 21 x 30cm.
At the Speed of Sound (2020). Mixed Media on Tracing Paper. 21 x 30cm.

IN AN EXPLORATION OF LIMINALITY, THE ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHIC FORMS AND COLOR PROFILES ARE LOST, AND THE SUBSTANCE OF THE PAST IS BLURRED INTO A MELTING POT OF TRACES AT THE INTERSECTION OF DARK AND LIGHT. IN THIS TRANSITIONAL, IN-BETWEEN SPACE, WHITE REVERBERATES LIKE A SNOWFLAKE AMIDST THE BLACKNESS, TRANSFORMING INTO A GRAY ZONE WHERE THE SPIRIT OF YESTERYEAR AND THE IMAGINATION OF TOMORROW SIMULTANEOUSLY UNFOLD. HERE, DOTS BECOME LINES, AND LINES TURN INTO GESTURES AND FORMS AS IF TO VISUALIZE THE ELEMENTS OF INTUITION, MEMORY AND MOVEMENT THAT CONSTITUTE EUN MI’S UNIQUE TRANSNATIONAL STORY.

The Rite of Passage (2020). Mixed Media on Tracing Paper. 21 x 30cm.
Mixed Media on Tracing Paper. 21 x 30cm.
THOUGHTS I THOUGHT I LOST II (2020)

While certain marks remain, some will wash a sense of difference into the soil, and others will transform into expressions of personal meaning anew. Whatever the case, Eun Mi will continue to craft areas of uncertainty; terrains of contestation where hybrid identities juggle local and distant forces, and a sense of belonging forever evolves in the most mysterious and spontaneous of ways.

YULA KIM

Yula Kim’s youth can be characterized by an assortment of adventures, including residencies spanning South Korea, China, Hawaii, Uganda, and the United Kingdom. Derived from rich hues of cultural diversity, her works navigate the interplay between perception and reality, all the while rekindling an intimate connection with the natural world. Utilizing a mixture of avian-inspired paints and pigments, Yula beautifully intermingles vibrant expressions of flora and fauna with a textured patchwork of artificial objects and human intervention. Indeed, her blended brushstrokes interconnect colors and shapes in a dynamic convergence, once again reminding us to reflect upon our perceptions of Mother Earth, and Her reciprocal impact on our lives.

I AM NOW (2023)

Natural Pigment and Acrylic on Canvas. 130 x 86cm.
WHERE

Yula honors nature as a profound source of solace, inspiration, and wonder, as well as a catalyst for creativity and innovation. Aesthetically stunning, her bird motifs soar through cloudbursts and navigate intercontinentally across the canvas as if to question our place within the larger tapestry of existence. Not only do they celebrate individuality, but they also spread the wings of solidarity and harmonize the humanistic, environmental, and socio-cultural ties upon which all living things depend.

Natural Pigment and Acrylic on Canvas. 130 x 86cm.
THE SHAPE OF CERTAINTY AND UNCERTAINTY (2023)
Natural Pigment and Acrylic on Canvas. 140 x 120cm.
THE DIGNITY (2023)

Exhibited at the Platinum Jubilee and now part of the Royal College of Art’s permanent collection, Yula’s “Life of the Secretary Bird” series captures the power, authority, and sheer ecological significance of the eagle. As tenacious rulers of the skies, these gilded creatures evoke the strength of bygone dynasties, at the same time mirroring Yula’s determined quest for meaning and enduring nomadic drive.

Ink and Gold Flake on Hanji. 45 x 30cm.
MATURE FEMALE EAGLE AND THE GOLDEN SUN (2020)
Ink and Silver Flake on Hanji. 40 x 25cm.
SECRETARY BIRD (2020)
Secretary Bird and Magpies (2020). Ink and Gold Flake on Hanji. 40 x 30cm.
INK, GOLD AND SILVER FLAKE ON HANJI
JUVENILE EAGLE (2020)
45 X 30CM

LONGING TO

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