{"id":50564,"date":"2025-05-15T22:28:12","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T13:28:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kiaf.org\/?post_type=insights&p=50564"},"modified":"2025-05-15T22:33:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T13:33:39","slug":"youjin-yi-kiaf-seoul-2023-highlight-award-winner","status":"publish","type":"insights","link":"https:\/\/kiaf.org\/en\/insights\/50564","title":{"rendered":"Youjin Yi | Kiaf SEOUL 2023 HIGHLIGHT Award Winner"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Youjin Yi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Recent Updates and Artistic Activities<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

Since receiving the Kiaf HIGHLIGHT Award, have you experienced any notable developments any notable develpments or personal changes in your work or practice?<\/span>\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

Being named a Kiaf HIGHLIGHTS Artist was a great honor. The increased visibility and valuable new contacts are very encouraging and strengthen me to continue on my artistic path.<\/span>This motivated me to delve deeper into themes and work more experimentally, particularly on ceramics. I transitioned to working with ceramic clay, which harmonizes wonderfully with my painting practice. For me, these sculptures are organic embodiments of the figures in my pictures, preserving the mysterious language their forms hold.<\/span><\/h2>\n

My work remains like a tightrope walker’s balancing act \u2013 observing my surroundings, relating to them, and seeking to connect diverse influences. The goal is to playfully combine contradictions to create new, unique, and polyphonic images. In the process of exploring depth and structure more within painting, sometimes the pictures become ‘heavier’ as paint accumulates in more layers. This also expresses my aspiration to create more clearly defined spaces while still maintaining ambiguity.<\/span><\/h2>\n

This award has provided significant impetus to further deepen and sharpen my artistic vision. Thanks again to Kiaf for the support!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Tiger Mask, 2019, Acrylic, oil on canvers, 190 x 240 cm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Are there any recent exhibitions, projects, or collaborations you would like to highlight?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

First, my solo exhibition\u00a0“Positive Sinking”\u00a0successfully concluded, running from February 13th to April 5th this year at Wooson Gallery in Seoul. It was an exhibition that perhaps shed some light on my artistic world, prompting contemplation on how ‘sinking’ could be positive, and sparking diverse conversations. Situated in a tranquil residential neighborhood of Seongbuk-dong, Wooson Gallery itself is a very special space \u2013 renovated from the former Venezuelan official residence, it harmoniously blends the texture of the red brick exterior with a modern white cube interior. Presenting my work in this unique atmosphere was a truly meaningful experience, and I was grateful for the many visitors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally,\u00a0Wooson Gallery\u00a0represented me at\u00a0Art Basel Hong Kong 2025\u00a0this past March. Both were very gratifying recent presentations of my work.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Leopard Laundry, 2023, Acrylic, oil, oil pastel on canvas, 200 x 160 cm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

International Activities and Plans<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you have any international exhibitions, fairs, or projects planned?<\/span> <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, I\u2019m excited about several upcoming projects in 2025. From May 1 to 27, I will present a solo exhibition titled Sehnsucht Sehen<\/em> at Galerie Mint in Munich, curated by HENDY ART CONSULTING. Shortly after, from May 16 to 18, I\u2019ll participate in the Open Ateliers at WhiteBOX, Werksviertel-Mitte in Munich, alongside my studio colleagues. In September, I\u2019ll have a solo presentation at Positions Berlin Art Fair, represented by Galerie Kornfeld Berlin, as well as a group exhibition at Rettberg Galerie in Munich. In October, I\u2019ll be part of Le Salon des Beaux Arts<\/em>, a project by MAISON VON MENGDEN in Munich. Then in November, Rettberg Galerie will feature my work at Art Cologne 2025. I\u2019m very much looking forward to these opportunities to connect with diverse audiences and contexts.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Exhibition View ‘Junction’ at Wooson Gallery, Daegu in 2021<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Future Goals and Directions<\/span><\/p>\n

Are there any goals or projects are currently preparing for or aspiring to in your artistic practice?<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

My main goal is to deepen the relationship between my painting and sculpture. Through sculptures organically linked to the figures in my paintings, I explore how 2D and 3D forms can interact more intensely.<\/span><\/p>\n

In my painting, I continuously explore depth, structure, and materiality, and importantly, I utilize the intentional ambiguity between defined and open spaces. This is precisely the core approach for expressing\u00a0‘Qualia’. Qualia refers to the subjective, personal characteristics of experience \u2013 for instance, the feeling of a specific red color or a pervading atmosphere \u2013 the ‘what-it’s-like’ sense that cannot be fully captured by objective description. My aim is not simply to represent reality, but to create a space where these individual sensations can resonate within the viewer. The physical presence of paint itself also contributes to evoking this sensory experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

This exploration connects with the meaning behind my upcoming exhibition title,\u00a0“Sehnsucht Sehen”\u00a0(Yearning Seeing). It represents the desire, through the act of seeing, to access or communicate this subjective quality of experience \u2013 Qualia. My works are thus attempts to make these Qualia visually or haptically experienceable.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, I strive to continuously develop my artistic language to find new ways to express these subjective characteristics \u2013 Qualia \u2013 and to sensorially convey what is difficult to put into words. I look forward to this ongoing process.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Thin Line, 2023, Oil, oil pastel on Korean paper mounted on canvas, 30 x 40 cm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Impact and Feedback from Kiaf HIGHLIGHT Awards<\/span><\/p>\n

Has the Kiaf HIGHLIGHT Award brought any positive changes or benefits to your practice?<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Yes. Being recognized as a Kiaf HIGHLIGHT artist significantly increased the international visibility and recognition of my work. This resulted in heightened interest, valuable new contacts, and the opportunity to present my art to a wider audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, this recognition served as important validation, strengthening my motivation and encouraging me to consistently develop my artistic language further. I am very grateful to Kiaf for this valuable boost, which has positively influenced both the external perception of my work and my own artistic drive.<\/span><\/p>\n

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