Younguk Yi's Journey Through Repetition, Fragmentation, & The Modern Human Condition - Hi-Fructose Magazine

"In addition to the visual impact of his work, Yi's titles play a significant role in shaping the viewer's experience. His titles, often drawn from everyday life, are carefully chosen to provoke thought and create an open-ended dialogue between text and image. His titles add a layer of meaning to the otherwise abstract composition, suggesting a narrative without dictating a specific interpretation."

"A recurring motif in Yi's work is the depiction of animals. Animals like apes and dogs-historically having been treated as scientific research subjects for advancements in anatomical studies and space exploration-serve as metaphors for the speculative future of humanity. He states, "I see these animals as reflections of human ambition, their bodies becoming sites of projected desires." The repeated representation of primates, with their human-like physicality, creates a sense of both familiarity and estrangement, evoking the evolutionary past and future of the human condition."

"This approach underscores Yi's belief in the power of words to add depth and complexity to visual art. Rather than providing a clear context or explanation for the image, the title acts as a subtle provocation, inviting the viewer to engage with the painting on a deeper, more introspective level. This relationship between image and text mirrors Yi's broader artistic philosophy, which emphasizes the importance of questioning existing structures and embracing uncertainty."

Yi often selects titles before painting, collecting everyday phrases as sensory fragments and treating them as integral parts of the work beyond mere labels. Titles provoke thought and create an open-ended dialogue between text and image, adding narrative suggestion to abstract compositions without prescribing interpretation. Recurring animal motifs, especially apes and dogs, function as metaphors for the speculative future of humanity and as reflections of human ambition. Representations of primates blur familiarity and estrangement, invoking evolutionary past and future. The interplay of words and images invites introspection, questions existing structures, and embraces uncertainty while prompting confrontation with anxieties about human progress.

Read at Hi-Fructose Magazine - The New Contemporary Art Magazine