[LA] the LIFE Ⅱ: Yu Jinyoung

Theatricality is at the core of Yu Jinyoung’s oeuvres. For her carefully crafted plays, the artist assigns each character with a role, as visualized by the masks worn on their faces. The jarring contrast between the hardened clay masks and the delicate, transparent bodies suggests that these roles are superficial and separate from their true inner selves. Atop a darkened theatre stage, some play the part of the oppressor, whilst others play the part of the oppressed. To the artist, our life is a theatrical production, filled with ever-changing roles that we willingly accept in order to fit in. 

These roles, however, change with each backdrop, and we may see an oppressor from one scene play a victim in another. Yu continues to explore different power structures through anecdotal narratives, and delivers a message that perhaps all human relationships are intrinsically unbalanced and unfair. Throughout the ever-changing dynamics, hierarchy remains as a pervasive constant. Someone is always at the mercy of another - whether it is at home, in the workplace, or in life.

Each one of Yu’s characters plays a role to maintain this status quo. The weight of this hardened façade is carried by their thin bodies, and some even appear to carry the weight of others’. As the artist captures the many faces that we have created for ourselves, she also implores us to contemplate on who we truly are. Behind the flamboyant exterior, outside of the ever-present hierarchies and oppressive social structures, we may be left with a hollow shell that has been conditioned to be invisible. 

Whilst her frustration at the inequities of our world resonates with many who come across her work, there is a noted level of self-reference that hints at the artist behind the figures. Yu Jinyoung says she has dealt with immense social anxiety and avoided being the centre of attention from a young age. Though she as an artist essentially chooses extroverted expression to convey her narratives, her own introverted nature manifests in the transparency of the bodies of her pieces, where the darkened gallery almost completely conceals the vulnerable inner selves. The subtle, nearly impassive expressions on the masks also relate to her childhood, where she quickly had to notice the subtle differences in the facial expressions of her parental figures in order to avoid being berated. 

The artist’s exploration of her family dynamics and her own ego ultimately led her to delve into the insecurities and inequalities that are prevalent in all areas of society. She shifts her focus from the individual, to society, to the world, and reflects on our reality where no one can escape the weight of ‘life’. Yu Jinyoung exposes the dualities that exist within all of us, and urges us to look inward for a solution to break this cycle.

- Erik Kim