Artist of the Month
April 2020
JiEun Yoon
Originally from South Korea, JiEun Yoon explores concepts relating to sense of place. Her poetic artwork projects a feeling of displacement and emotional status through the skies. She received her MFA in glass from Rochester Institute of Technology and recently finished a year-long residency at the Chrysler Museum of Art's Perry Glass Studio. JiEun is represented by Okay Spark Gallery, Norfolk, VA.
Click on each photo to the right for a full picture.
Cadence, 2018; 62 x 62 x 1 inches; kiln-formed glass
A Daily Sense of Sunsets, 2019; each square 4 x 4 x 0.4 inches; kiln-formed glass
A Week of Sky, 2019; installation, kiln-formed glass
February 2018, Rochester, NY; 48 x 35 x 2 inches; kiln-formed glass
Sense of Place (on-going project since 2015); installation, kiln-formed glass
The 3rd Week of November, 2017; 85 x 10 x 1.5 inches; kiln-formed glass
Take me back, 2017; 22 x 22 x 18 inches; flame-working, blown glass, and photo decal
Invisible side, 2017; 26 x 20 x 10 inches; flame-worked glass and photo decal; kinetic
JiEun Yoon
Artist Statement:
My work cherishes personal experiences while reflecting on memories evoking where I am, and where my people are, or have been. I am utilizing abstraction as a tool, obscuring known places with color, reconstructing my own memory and creating a new collective understanding. My work blends all these separate histories into new experiences.
Through the rhythmic nature of sky, my body of work challenges our sense of permanency within our own lives. From the dynamic color variation of the ever-changing sky, I am exploring ephemerality, softness, transparency, and potential volatility.
I aspired to capture the sublime beauty of the skies; however, it is impossible to hold onto them all the time, but I wanted my work to be reminders of those moments. Memories continuously shape our worldview, including our perception of real and imagined spaces. My material practice is also an attempt to understand how people accept new and unfamiliar places between “being there” and “being here."
About JiEun Yoon
Originally from South Korea, JiEun Yoon is a contemporary artist who just finished her yearlong resident artist and internship program at the Perry Glass Studio, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA. Her work has continued to be exhibited in a variety of venues both nationally and internationally.
She received her MFA in glass from Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, and has been a scholarship student at Pilchuck Glass School, Corning Museum of Glass, Chrysler Museum of Art, and Glass Art Society. She moved to the states after graduating with her BFA in ceramics and glass from Hong-ik University and working as an assistant curator at the Korean Ceramic Foundation.
Her work explores concepts relating to sense of place. Living away from home, family, and friends, and traveling all over the world, her poetic artwork projects a sense of displacement and emotional status through the skies.
Click here for an artist's resume.
Acknowledgment of Gallery:
We are grateful to Okay Spark Gallery, Norfolk, Virginia, for providing the Artist of the Month.
The Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to further the development and appreciation of art made from glass.
The Alliance informs collectors, critics and curators by encouraging and supporting museum exhibitions, university glass departments and specialized teaching programs, regional collector groups, visits to private collections, and public seminars.
