Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yeon Ji Yoo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Yeon Ji, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

The road that cut across our small town held the stories of my childhood, stretching from the bustling bus station where Seoul relatives disembarked to the quaint market area with a tiny candy store and a handful of still bicycles. It meandered past the open and verdant rice fields, past the cow tethered to a tree, and through the dark pine woods.

Those tall, bending trees with gnarled limbs and spiky needles were a majestic sight during the day but transformed into menacing figures in the cover of night. They housed ghost stories and whispered secrets, silent witnesses to a million living and a million dead things.

From a young age, I felt an innate calling to examine myself and my surroundings through the language of imagery and objects. Cutting simple colored paper and shaping it into scenes of pine tree silhouettes and green rice fields became my way of interpreting and documenting the rural world that enveloped me.

As a teenager in 90s New York City, a transformative experience awaited me at an exhibition. An artist had taken over an entire space, filling it with reimaginings of the life, magic, and death of Robert Johnson. It was then that I knew—I wanted to create spaces imbued with magic as well. These early encounters, rooted in the landscapes of my childhood and later enriched by the vibrant energy of the city, have seamlessly woven themselves into the tapestry of my artistic journey. They continue to propel me to explore the delicate intersection of memory, identity, and the immigrant experience through my creations.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a practicing artist, working within a studio space for many years and exhibiting work several times a year. This is an important aspect to mentoring young artists who need to supplement their classroom understanding with knowledge about professional practice. As a practicing artist, I am able to share the ins and outs of maintaining an artistic practice, and lead students through and explain the importance of studio visits, gallery and museum exhibitions, and personal progress as an artist.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Growing up with the aspiration of becoming an artist is just the starting point, and I often emphasize to my students that mere desire is insufficient. I stress the importance of understanding that the likelihood of someone magically appearing at their studio door with exhibition opportunities is slim without dedicated studio practice, effective communication about their work, and a keen awareness of their place in the vast tapestry of the art world. Reflecting on my own journey, I wish I had received this knowledge more deliberately and institutionally during my time in college and graduate school. The post-education phase brought the harsh reality of needing to earn a living to cover rent and other expenses. In the hustle to make money, I erroneously believed I had time to defer my artistic pursuits for a few years. However, I soon realized that making and showcasing artwork is a gradual process that requires time to build momentum.
It’s a valuable lesson that I encourage my students to internalize—to recognize the importance of balancing financial responsibilities with the continuous cultivation of their artistic practice. I share my experiences to instill in them the understanding that sustained effort, strategic communication, and an awareness of the art world dynamics are integral to carving a meaningful and enduring path in the realm of art.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Growing up as a child of two educators during the early stages of South Korea’s economic boom in the countryside deeply influenced my desire to create and make art. My immigrant experience is a narrative of realizing the dreams of parents who made significant sacrifices, leaving behind their past lives to start anew on the American soil of gold and plastic. The struggle and resilience of this journey became a fundamental part of my artistic expression.

Contact Info:

• Website: yeonjiyoo.com
• Instagram: yeonjiyoo

Image Credits
Yeon Ji Yoo