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until 14.06. | #4226ARTatBerlin | 68 projects shows from 26. April 2024 the exhibition Unprompted by the artist Youjin Yi.
The exhibition “Unprompted” presents works by the Munich-based Korean artist Youjin Yi. This first solo exhibition in Berlin shows, among other things, paintings on Hanji paper mounted on canvas.
“To fully grasp my art, one must engage with the essence of my identity and heritage, recognising that my Korean background is not merely a static influence but a dynamic force that intertwines with the diverse cultural strands I have woven into my life‘s tapestry. In my creations, I, Youjin Yi, bridge disparate worlds, crafting art that is imbued with a dreamlike quality and rich with personal and universal narratives. The ambiguity of my motifs is intentional, born from the fusion of drawing and painting, and represents a continual pilgrimage towards self-discovery and artistic evolution.” – Youjin Yi
Youjin Yi came to Germany aged twenty. This move and the ensuing experiences have brought an awareness to Youjin Yi enabling her to recognise what is innately hers, culture, identity – through the recognition of what is not.
Youjin Yi describes herself as a tightrope walker. The rope consists of various elements that are woven together to form something new, whereby each element continues to exist in its own right. With Youjin Yi’s works, we enter another world, a world of dreams. Everything appears calm and still, while people, animals and mythical creatures interact with each other and with the space. The fusion of cultures, philosophies and the emergence of ourselves, the world and creativity play an important role.
Fleeting snapshots grant the viewer insights into this other world: a fox in a sea of flowers, monkeys engrossed in a conversation, complex processes of creation unfold before our eyes. The subjects do not simply move in the landscape, but merge with it and transform together with it into something completely new: we become witnesses to this transformation. In each work, Youjin Yi captures a moment from which we can form a story. Just like in our dreams, stories emerge on the canvas. Stories that we create just for ourselves and stories that we share with others.
The merging of different elements not only takes place on the canvas, but also characterizes the variety of different techniques with which she works: Large formats are juxtaposed with small ones, handmade Hanji paper meets classic canvas, oil, pastel and graphite are placed next to each other. Pastel colors are framed with harder contours, and delicate lines appear next to dark areas. The unpainted areas of the canvas are just as important as the painted ones; this gives the supposedly empty space a greater presence and makes it part of the picture’s story.
Born in 1980 in Gangneung, South Korea, Youjin Yi studied classical Korean painting with Park Dae-Sung at Sejong University in Seoul. From 2004 to 2011, she studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. Her studies also took her to Berlin, where she deepened her artistic training with Leiko Ikemura. Back in Munich, she became a master student of Günther Förg in 2011.
Youjin Yi has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Berlin, Seoul, Munich, Cologne, Paris and Havana. Her works are shown at international art fairs such as Art Basel Hong Kong; Untitled, Miami Beach and Asia Now Paris and are part of the WTS Collection, Germany. The publication “Fusion” was published by Verlag für Moderne Kunst in 2020.
The artist lives and works in Munich.
Opening: Friday, 26. April 2024, 18:00 – 21:00 pm
Exhibition dates: Friday, 26. April until Friday, 14. June 2024
To the gallery
Image caption: Youjin Yi, Future’s so Bright, 2024, Oil and oil pastel on canvas, 100 x 150 cm
