Jayoung Yoon (Korean: 윤자영; Hanja: 尹慈永; born 1979) is a South Korean artist known for her interdisciplinary work using human hair and other natural materials.[1] Yoon draws inspiration from diverse sources, including Christian and Buddhist philosophies, as well as other spiritual traditions.[2][3] Her artistic practice spans various media, including sculpture, performance, video, and two-dimensional works.[3][4][5] Yoon lives and works in Beacon, New York, seeking to infuse her life and work with a closer connection to nature.[2]
Yoon's art is rooted in exploring invisible thoughts, perception and the body to achieve a state of mindfulness.[1][2][3] Yoon views human hair as a symbol bridging the physical and spiritual realms, often using it as her primary material.[1][2][5] She employs lengths of hair hand-knotted or woven together to create semi-transparent sculptural forms and two-dimensional geometric images.[6][7][8] These intricate structures that can take countless hours to create.[5] The delicate and tactile nature of the medium demands attention and presence, as the work can shift as a result of subtle changes in airflow.[7]
In addition to human hair, Yoon works with other natural materials such as feathers and milkweed seed fiber.[3][9] She has recently incorporated traditional Korean horsehair weaving techniques into her works, connecting her contemporary practice with cultural heritage.[9]
Sculpture
Yoon's sculptural works explore themes of interconnectedness, emptiness, and life cycles. Web of Life (2015–2017), a large-scale work with a 9-foot diameter, is composed of tiny hand-made knots, intertwining hair from immediate and extended family members to represent their connection in life.[5][10] The Form and Emptiness series (2015–2017) features woven mesh boxes with geometric forms, hung from the ceiling. Each cradles a different geometric shape at its heart, creating a visual dialogue between form and void, structure and absence.[5][11][12]The Skull (2016), a hair-adorned sculpture made of hair and glue, represents life cycles and mortality.[13][14]The Offering Bowl #7 (2022) uses her mother's hair, expressing the cycle of life and acknowledging the influence her mother played in her art.[10]
Performances and video art
Extending her artistic practice, Yoon creates performance pieces and video art that further explore themes of meditation, mindfulness, and the connection between body and mind.[3][4][15] Her performances frequently involve subjecting herself to the elements for extended periods, aiming to achieve a state of empathetic mindfulness.[1][15] In her film Listen to the Mind I (2009), a nine-minute video condensed from 10 hours of footage, Yoon lies naked in a white cube. A hair funnel from her ear remains unaffected by sunlight while her skin burns, symbolizing mental resilience amid physical change.[15] Her short videos explore the reductive essence of meditation, as seen in works like Non-Ego (2010), a video installation featuring eleven large pots and the artist's body.[1][16] Another work, Umbicality(A close or intimate connection) (2012), explores the connection between sky and body, air and skin, using her hair to bridge between nothingness and form.[17][18] In 2012, Yoon presented Clearing the Mind, a performance piece at Deep Tanks gallery, further demonstrating her exploration of meditative states through artistic expression.[19]
Critical reception
Critics describe Yoon's work as delicate and unsettling in its beauty, thought-provoking and contemplative.[20][21] Her artistic approach is viewed as phenomenological, investigating perception and the body.[3] The tactile and fragile nature of her chosen medium, human hair, is often emphasized as a key element in her work. Critics note how this medium demands attention and presence from the audience, with subtle changes in airflow potentially altering the viewer's perception of the piece.[7][21] Yoon's distinctive ability to blend asceticism and aesthetics is highlighted, creating works that draw viewers into deep contemplation.[1][15]
Yoon's work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group shows at museums, galleries, and art institutions across the United States and internationally.[5][9]
Solo exhibitions
Perceiving Emptiness, Rose Lehrman Art Gallery, HACC, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (2023)[34]
Sowing Seeds of Emptiness, Garrison Art Center, Garrison, New York (2022)[7]
^Schwartzman, Madeline (2020-02-05). See Yourself X: Human Futures Expanded. London, United Kingdom.: Black Dog Press Limited. pp. 28–29. ISBN978-1910433225.
