Interview

She believes that all people understand each other to a certain extent and no more than that. That is natural, and everyone encounters other people carrying things that only he or she alone can understand, which she loves about humans and which she represents from her imagination. Occasionally, the lonely things understood by one person shine incomprehensibly with strange but beautiful colors. She strives to capture them as a colorist painter. Her recent solo shows include “Perfect Kidnapping” in Brooklyn as a part of Chashama project, and a virtual show “Kidnapped” at Artists Living Room NYC. She had more solo shows in Seoul through 2016-2020. She participated in numerous group exhibitions in Brooklyn and Seoul from 2015-2023, including juried or invited exhibitions like “Oasis of Color” at Van Der Plas Gallery in Manhattan, NY, “Dark and Scary” at Greenpoint Gallery in Brooklyn, NY, “Asian Students and Young Artists Art Festival” in Seoul, and “Tradition to Modern” at Monmouth Museum in New Jersey. She won the first grand prize from Arthouse.Z Art Prize held by Kaleido Art, granting $1,000 cash prize.

Yooyeon Nam is a colorist painter who paints from full imagination. The paintings represent all kinds of relationships from love and longing to hatred and evasion. To achieve the strange feelings and weirdness of the relationships and the word in which they reside in, Nam uses a wide range of colors and places figures in incongruous spaces that have both interior elements and landscape elements. In Nam's recent series 'Kidnapped', round faced, nose-less characters frequent her paintings. The works are about the weird and strange nature of the world and relationships, and these bizarre characters emphasize feelings of uncanniness since they are seemingly too cute and adorable to suffer or be violent. These feelings of eerie discomfort are further evoked through Nam's usage of a wide array of colors. Finding precise colors that do not mumble about the truth of the world and relationships is important to her. Nam paints from full imagination in order to elevate the emotions that reside deep in her consciousness. The unassuming, almost naive nature of Nam's characters adds humor to serious narratives, which in turn makes them- paradoxically- more serious. Throughout 'Kidnapped', Nam allows these characters to take her wherever they may, and guides the viewers into a new world. This leads us to the age-old question; Is the artist the mere summoner of a hidden world already in existence, or the creator of a new universe entirely?

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“I live and work in Brooklyn, NY and Seoul, South Korea. Growing up in Korea, I had a rigorous academic education and although I always wanted to be an artist there was an immense amount of pressure to study something more financially stable. In 2013, I went to a business school at Yonsei University, however, I still wanted to be an artist, so I started to teach myself. I had been to art classes as a kid, so I knew a few basic things. In school, I went to a painting club, and I participated in some group shows and even solo shows in various venues. Self-teaching and finding venues to show my work were the beginning point of my journey in the art world, which was around 2015. After graduating from business school, I decided that I needed to go back and follow my true passion for painting- even if it meant starting from scratch in a new environment. I also have been working in an office using my business degree, but being a painter has always been my priority. In 2017, I applied to art schools in the U.S. to be a part of a larger art scene and was accepted at Pratt Institute. The reason I chose the U.S. was that I wanted to study oil painting, which is western traditional medium, and that English is a language I could speak fluently. I earned my BFA in Painting from Pratt Institute, graduating with the highest honors and excellence in academic achievement. After graduating from Pratt in 2023, I am staying in Brooklyn, New York, working on my paintings, showing my works to the public whenever I have some opportunities, and working as a painting assistant.”

What inspires you?

“There are two main things that inspire me; colors and relationships. I define myself as a colorist painter, and I am attracted to a variety of harmonic combinations of colors that are painted on surfaces with intention of an artist. Everything I see in the world that has interesting color combinations is my inspiration, such as a shadow casted under a tree during sunset, a plant near the window shield that contains different light from the sun everyday every moment, movie scenes, good photos, and even from some nice clothing that I see at a store. In terms of subject matter, I am inspired by weird nature of relationships, which inevitably entails conflicts or cognitive dissonance, not only between individuals, but also between an individual and an object, a phenomenon, a dream, and the world. I focus on the eerie feeling rather than the superficial appearance of relationship. These feelings come on and off as I interact with others, the world, and even myself, which make me question myself existential issues, since I don't think I will feel the eerie feelings if I am living a fantastical and perfect life, following a direction that leads to the so-called correct answers. In reality, sometimes it even feels weird that I am alive and someday I will die. Even though there are specific moments that I was inspired, it becomes a metaphor or a new narrative in my paintings. For example, the painting "Kidnapped Across the Border" is inspired by my feelings about the complex relationship between South Korea and North Korea, and what attitude I need to have as a South Korean whose grand-grandfather escaped from the North during a war. However, the painting merely seems like a girl holding a torso. I intend my own personal experience and feeling to become a universal and individual language that can be interpreted freely by anyone yet conveying the discomfort.”

What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?

“Above all, I pursue the works that can satisfy myself first as the first viewer. I am a colorist painter painting representational subject matters, mostly figure. I want the precise colors, right composition, and scale. I pursue simple paintings with the strong compositions and colors, with the minimum details. Other than that, my pursuits are closely related to my inspirations. I want the viewers from different cultures and backgrounds to simply have some fun and be interested in my paintings, without having to study about the background of them, like about me as an artist or my thoughts. This is the reason I use colors as my main tools. I think the great paintings and art are like that, so they are still loved by people. However, there should be more than a superficial joy from the visual stimulation. I pursue the paintings that can make the viewers feel the moments of my inspiration of weird feelings as if I don't belong here or it is merely strange that some things are happening, which I think human beings share as the same species. I make magical but strange world with the cute figures that are not humans but still look like humans, with violence and craziness. I try to have people find more and more elements and hidden surprises from the painting when they look at it for a longer time, hiding some symbols and metaphors repeating in my series of paintings. I hope they become curious about the strangeness I wanted to convey and think about their own world. The discomfort leads to an intellectual question about existence, like how I should live, what I am responsible of, and how I should interact with others, since the discomfort comes from the gap between ideal and reality, and collision between two ideals. I pursue the artworks that satisfies me first and that are strange but attractive enough for people to meet their eyes first, then feel eerie feelings, and eventually think about their own discomforts in their lives.”

“There are two main things that inspire me; colors and relationships.”

How would you describe your work?

“I describe my works as representational and maximalist paintings that are intentionally loosely painted using a wide range of colors, with dreamlike -nightmare like -narratives and strong compositions.”

Which artists influence you most?

“I am most influenced by colorists. Post-impressionist artists- namely Paul Gauguin, Paul Cezanne, and Henri Matisse- have remained some of my most steadfast inspirations. I even covered one of the walls in my first studio with their works, which served as a beacon for if I ever got lost or stuck. Especially, Gauguin’s colors are dark but still so vibrant, which I admire. I look into the masters' works when I don't know what color to use. I also love Les Nabis, a group of young French artists active in Paris from 1888 until 1900, which focused on colors and simple shapes, including Édouard Vuillard, Félix Vallotton, and Maurice Denis. Vuillard and Vallotton both have really detailed, drawing-driven paintings, but they also painted simple, and color-focused paintings without too many details but with strong compositions, which are my goal in my own paintings. I print out the paintings by these artists and put them on my wall in studio as my guidance, to look at them whenever I feel lost about the painting I am working on. Subject matter that explores the macabre and grotesque interests me because of its ability to push boundaries and uncomfortable truths, especially when done through a satirical lens. I especially love the Czech filmmaker Jan Svankmajer, who I first discovered in 2015. He stuck me for his insightful usage of the exact grotesque I adore- a precarious mixture of cute and funny, sarcastic, weird, and strange. In his short film "Jabborwocky," small dolls are boiled, cooked, and eaten by larger dolls. It is a criticism for violence and hostility against others that are prevalent in society, represented in an artistic way.”

What is your creative process like?

“Firstly, I start drawings, which are almost like doodles, on my small sketchbook. I don't look at any reference at this moment since this is the very first stage of making new pieces when I need my imagination to full extent. Sometimes I imagine or be inspired first and then start drawing, however, other times I sit down and then start doodling, and then get inspired by the act of drawing. I usually use pencils or pens at this stage, and then start to think about the composition of the new work. I try out a several squares and rectangles around the sketches and draw them again if needed. Whenever I feel it looks good, I make a canvas with stretcher bars or buy a premade one if there is a right proportion canvas. I start with oil pastels for a general sketch on the canvas, since it will take some time for the sketch to dry if I use oil paints for the sketch.
I cannot wait until the desperate feeling of having to paint evaporates, so I need to use oil pastels with which I don't have to wait until it dries. Additionally, they remain after I paint on it, leaving some colors on the edges of the shapes, which makes the colors rich. Before I choose the color for the sketch, I briefly think about what main colors I will be using and try to use the second most dominant color as the sketch color. In that way, the color is everywhere, a bit bleeding into the dominant color and other colors, making the whole painting look richer. Then I start to paint the first color I had in my mind when I imagine of the finished piece. I don’t pre-plan all colors, instead, I decide next colors, one by one, since colors would look different when they are next to each other. I should execute the painting process of mixing up colors and putting them on to see how it looks. Sometimes I take off the paints and reapply, and sometimes I let the piece dry and then apply new colors on it. I do the latter when I want to see the effect of the wrong color at least, in order to make a better choice in comparison. I correct and repaint, and often there are huge mistakes like scales, compositions, or shapes. I am not afraid of fixing them, and I don’t feel regrets. Even though I put in so much time in those things, something wrong is wrong and covering it up will make it only better, not worse at all. To be honest, fixing things and making them better is the most exciting moment when painting. I decide fast and paint fast. I need to finish the painting before my passion evaporates.”

What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?

“I can only talk about a painter’s role in society in that I am a painter and there are so many different kinds of artists that I can’t dare to talk about their roles. I don't think artists, painters, are so special that we have a role in society other than merely being honest about our works. Artists should be the last ones to fake themselves, be honest to their own works and to the viewers, showing the respect to the viewers and art lovers, and follow their pure passion and what is right. Some people might say that my opinion is too naive, however, I know that the artist's philosophy and attitude are destined to be shown through their artworks, which will eventually be revealed to the viewers and the world. The artworks are exactly like the life, which inevitably accumulates karma since they are the sum of the artist’s intention and choices. Intentionally pursuing unexpected effect is also an intention. If it were not of the artist’s intention, it is merely a product, made without philosophy, which I think is to betray the viewers.
The artist’s role is fading away these days, since there are so many ways to fake the viewers, merely following trends, having others make important choices for the artworks instead of the artists themselves or relying too much on AI tools. Lots of people value the concepts over the craftsmanship, which I know are both important and required, however, craftsmanship must be valued as the past since fine art is still traditional art genre, unless the artists are intentionally exempting craftsmanship. When it comes to a philosophical aspect, I question what the role of artist is, whether the artist is a summoner of an already existing world or a creator of a new world. There are some elements that came from the artist's background and culture, but there are obviously elements that are creative, which some people don't believe in these days with AI. However, I think creativity is still valid in that the real creativity drives from the reality, connecting seemingly unrelated elements in everyday life. For example, in my work “Oh, Well, The Truth Is…”, was inspired by an advertisement about a NYC train fare that had a bad translation of Korean into English. “Truth” and “Oh, Well,” sound the same in Korean, so I imagined a situation when one must make some excuses starting with “Oh, well,” even though the person is telling the truth.”

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Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?

“The most impressive exhibition I went to was "Félix Vallotton: Painter of Disquiet" which was at The Met Fifth Avenue from October 29th, 2019, to January 26th, 2020. This was how I get to know about Félix Vallotton. The colors were strong, and the composition was simple but effective. I could feel mysteries and imagine so many possible narratives in the paintings. Even though his subject matters are realistic and nothing about surrealist, I thought I just opened a door to the whole new world of his own. His world was about his everyday life, however, it felt like a magical world to me, even like René Magritte's world. My favorite exhibition is "Lee Quede - An Epic of Liberation" at National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art from July 22nd, 2015 to November 1st, 2015. Quede Lee was a known for his figurative oil paintings and he was among the earliest adopters of modern Western style painting in Korea. His figures were drawn so well, with the wonderful colors and compositions, making me think of the palette of the past that I didn't exist. The colors that I could see in person were totally different from the images on google. They were deep and attractive. Additionally, I could feel the historical desires he had, which was the independence of Korea from Japanese colonization. From some paintings of his wife, I could read his poetic and kind love towards her. Every time I revisit his images that are saved on my phone, I recall the moments that I saw his paintings in person.”

Website: yooyeonnam.modoo.at

Instagram: @yooyeon_nam

Yooyeon Nam