Transparent Sculptures Explore the Depth of Human Emotion

First featured in Hi-Fructose Vol. 12, Korean artist Jin Young Yu makes haunting sculptures with a mystifying use of transparency. She achieves the invisibility of her doll-like figures through a highly transparent plastic. Yu’s deeply intimate works reflect on her emotional experience of adolescence, and more recently, mirror her adult personality.

Opening on September 19th, she will make her US solo debut at Art Merge Lab in Los Angeles. Titled “Myself/Them”, her latest series is massive, numbering at over 25 works that consist of her tall and gangly sculptures and an installation of flat acrylic pieces.

These comprise of two major series never shown together: “Me & Myself”, and her more recent, “Me & Them”. Instead of trying to fit into the world, she says, Yu’s characters climb into a space of their own while rejecting the imposition of others. This also describes Yu herself, who feels uncomfortable with small talk and rooms full of people.

So while her works exude quirkiness and individuality, they simultaneously represent a wanting to blend in. It’s a familiar struggle to most of us, told in a refreshing way through Yu’s unique mix of materials and style.

“Myself/Them” will be on view at Art Merge Lab’s popup space in Los Angeles from September 19 through October 17, 2015.

Via My Modern Met, Optically Addicted