Jeongwon Yoon weaves unexpected combinations of disparate found objects and mass produced materials into magical worlds transcending the limits of time and space. Her works expand from painting, installation, furniture, fashion and jewelry. She often explores her ideas as part of a series or closed related separates. Her works involve a laborious process and achieves a range of grand scale. Using intimate repurposed materials such as barbie dolls and necklaces, Yoon aims to convey the space in between moments from one state to another. Inspired by Korean Shamanic practices, where offerings are made as a transaction of gratitude between spirit and human, Yoons creations become the substance of dramas of ambivalence and an entry for both the celebration of life and death as well as spiritual purity and material consumption. It is within this paradox that many Koreans find themselves undertaking, contradiction can equal dynamism and opportunities are created from instability and tradition.
Her work spans installations and planar art, featuring unrestrained compositions and imaginative use of colorful props, notably in her Barbie and chandelier series. She transforms obsolete playthings into plastic forms and exquisite chandeliers, while life-sized Barbie portraits exude surreal charm. Nature often appears as a symbol of restoration or as a mythical backdrop, blending with a harmonious paradise. Her work blurs the lines between art and life, dreams and reality, reviving lost fantasies and rekindling beautiful dreams.
Yoon’s work is infused with musical and dance elements, and her latest pieces incorporate themes of flight. She immerses herself in solitude, deeply engaging with music and literature, allowing for intense focus and creative expression. Her work reflects her synesthetic sensibility and admiration for the vibrant music of Igor Stravinsky and Puccini, as well as George Balanchine’s ballet. Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, known for its primal color and innovative rhythm, resonates with the idea of dance originating from ritualistic footwork. The concept of flight embodies human reverie, symbolizing lightness and freedom.
Jeongwon Yoon achieved her MFA at Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden, Kunste Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany. Jeongwon’s first artwork to be offered at auction was Flowers in Space at Seoul Auction in 2019. Her work is has been consistently exhibited at KIAF Seoul since 2021. Her work has been collected by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul Museum of Art, Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Suncheon National University Im-Ok Museum of Art, and The Kolon Group.
