Page 25 - Beauty Prime Magazine

Sun You explores themes of
impermanence, domesticity nos-
talgia, using humble materials in
her art. She discusses how move-
ment between cultures shapes her
creative process and curatorial
projects.
The Art of
Belonging with
Sun You
How spontaneity and care animate Sun You’s
sculptures and panels
Sun You’s art
offers a compel-
ling meditation
on themes of
impermanence,
interdependence play, bringing
together the deeply personal
with the universally relatable.
Born in Seoul and based in New
York, You has built an impres-
sive body of work that trans-
forms everyday materials like
polymer clay and cardboard into intricate
sculptures and wall pieces. Her thoughtful
approach celebrates the beauty of fragility,
creating pieces that evoke both lightness and
resilience. Recognized with accolades such
as the 2023 Contemporary Visual Art Award
from the AHL Foundation, You’s impact ex-
tends beyond her art. As a professor, curator
director of President Clinton Projects, she
is dedicated to fostering collaborative and
supportive communities for artists.
Sun You discusses how her life between Seoul,
Detroit New York has shaped her art, revealing the
intimate themes of domesticity, nostalgia adaptation
woven into her work. Her perspective brings fresh in-
sight into the way movement, memory creative spon-
taneity guide her artistic practice, inviting viewers to
reflect on their own experiences of home, transforma-
tion connection.
How has your experience of moving between
different cities like Seoul, Detroit New York
influenced your artistic process and the themes
you explore in your work?
In my life, I have moved and traveled a lot. This flu-
idity and impermanence have influenced how I think
and create. I prioritize flexibility and lightness. My
work does not require fixed production sites, as it can
be easily packed and made spontaneously.
How does the idea of function and arrangement
Sun You’s art embraces both resilience
and fragility, transforming everyday
materials into vibrant reflections on
connection, memory interdependence.
in your process of packing art for transport contri-
bute to the meaning of your sculptures?
My floor sculptures, made from polymer clay and
cardboard boxes, have been exhibited since 2021. The
form of these sculptures arises from a process in my
work. I bake clay pieces in the kitchen oven and pack
them in boxes to move to the studio. The arrangement
of the clay is based on function: I organize them so
they won’t shift or break in transit. Whereas the pa-
intings are composed with concerns like balance or
movement, the compositions in the boxes come from
a place of caretaking. There is a directness to this that
I want to celebrate.
In your practice, you incorporate materials that
are often associated with childhood and play, such
as polymer clay. How do you see the relations-
hip between these materials and the themes of
domesticity and nostalgia in your work?
My abstract panels function as both paintings and
wall reliefs. These works are made with polymer clay,
acrylic paint wood. Polymer clay, one of my primary
materials, is typically used in crafts such as bead ma-
king and children’s play. The association with domes-
ticity and baking in my work is reinforced through
hand-building techniques, including rolling, pinching
firing clay in my home oven.
For my show at Sardine in 2018, I created multi-pa-
nel paintings that are stacked on top of each other,
with sculptural pieces inserted between the paintings.
Both elements reflect a playful lan-
guage reminiscent of children’s play.
Several artists have inspired you.
How do you think your artistic
style and philosophy align or
contrast with theirs?
I admire many artists, inclu-
ding B. Wurtz—we both use humble mate-
rials, embracing a slow, sublime succinct approach to
gesture. I also admire Polly Apfelbaum, as we both
are interested in creating provisional tableaus that ce-
lebrate women’s work, history of craft the language
of abstraction.
Can you elaborate on your thoughts about
impermanence and interdependence, especially in
the context of the current social climate and how
it informs your artistic practice?
Impermanence and interdependence aren’t ideas to
me—they’re facts. As a person, I try to embrace this
and, as an artist, to materialize it. Some of the ways
I do this include sculptures that are held together in
precarious arrangements using magnets and gravity.
Each time they’re displayed, they shift and change.
As a curator, how do you choose the themes and
artists for your projects what do you hope to
communicate through these exhibitions?
My curatorial projects are often an extension of
my interests as an artist and individual. These inclu-
de themes such as artist migration and gentrification,
feminism, physical flexibility in sculpture, intergene-
rational inspiration among artists more. These shows
and events have been essential in fostering conver-
sations and relationships that continue to shape my
growth as an artist and educator. My goal is to bring
people together, expand connections build commu-
nity through artist-initiated exhibitions, projects cu-
ratorial opportunities.
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