jin young yu: the invisible people

Korean artist Jin Young Yu addresses feelings of being invisible, of not fitting in the world. The faces on her full-scale figures are haunting and sorrowful, yet the colors and patterns are bright and vibrant.

Yu’s life-size figures are clear PVC plastic (the type of plastic used to make soda bottles) and clay.  Working from sketches, she sculpts the human form in clay, makes a plaster cast and then lays sheets of PVC on the mold, heating the plastic so it can take form around the plaster mold.

Her work resonates with me. I understand. I have been that invisible girl/child/woman at different times in my life – and you? Have you ever felt invisible in this fast-paced world?

My works are about people who, instead of getting along with others, choose to keep a distance from them, and be invisible or be left alone unconcerned. Instead of trying to fit into the world, they climb into a space of their own and reject other people’s intrusions. Jin Young Yu

Read an interview with the artist on Arrested Motion

Work in progress pictures here

More images at Union Gallery