Yooyeon Nam

Artist Statement

Centered on a lexicon of original characters, my practice maps existential absurdity through a visual vocabulary of cultural estrangement and ontological fragility. I investigate the "outsider" not as a social label, but as a fundamental human condition. By situating infantile characters within narratives of latent violence, I create an affective rupture—sabotaging the aesthetic of "cute" to expose the raw, uncanny depths of displacement.

This friction is rooted in the materiality of my process. I prepare surfaces with a gritty pastel ground and utilize long-haired Egbert brushes to invite physical resistance. This struggle against the canvas—a negotiation between gestural chaos and meticulous precision—mimics the existential precariousness I navigate.

The rounded, nose-less anatomy of my figures synthesizes traditional Korean Buddhist iconography with the sociological nuances of the Eastern gaze. In a context where direct eye contact is perceived as confrontational, the "blankness" of my characters functions as visual resistance. I translate the distorted, yet idealized forms of sacred sculptures into a contemporary language that captures a state of being both vulnerable and resilient.

By employing a dynamic palette that shifts between high-chroma brilliance and muted tones, I induce affective dissonance. This tension challenges instinctual comfort, stripping away the mundane to expose the violent undercurrents of the human condition. My work invites the viewer to remain in that discomfort—a space where meaning is not found, but surrendered.