[SHE/HER] @YEONSUJU / WWW.YEONSUJU.CARGO.SITE
EMOTION / LETTER / COLOUR / REMINDER / LONDON
Yeonsu Ju is a 4th Year Painting & Printmaking student studying at GSA. Enter the dreamy world of Yeonsu as she describes the complexity of sadness, romance, and the evocative power of colour.
Q1. IDENTITY?
Tell us a bit about yourself and where you're based.
I am a Korean artist based in Glasgow, UK. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Chung-Ang University, Korea. I am currently undertaking my final year in Painting and Printmaking at Glasgow School of Art, UK. I primarily work with oil and acrylic. My practice is linked to memories and imaginative stories which relate to strong emotions such as love.
Q2. CONTENT?
What do you make & how do you make it?
I see a canvas as a form of a letter delivering my feelings towards others or
expressing my love. My painting starts with memory and imaginative stories related
to love. It is translated to painting in a poetic and symbolic way with a sense of
metaphor. Surrealistic metamorphosis is happening in the painting.
The love I’m using is about mostly romance, which inevitably has a feeling of
sadness. I believe that even though the relationship with others ends in reality, the
love and the time/space that we have passed through together still exist outside
of reality. I am investigating the contradiction between reality and my feeling, which
cause sadness. Therefore, sadness is a complicated feeling to me, and I keep
running away from reality in order to find the sadness.
My work depicts a moment that's dreamy-like, which includes a mixture of feelings
with tears. My colour palette becomes quite bright, highly saturated, which evokes
a dream-like quality. It aims to show the rich dynamics and capricious changes of
feelings with flowing, slick, lively lines.
Q3. HURDLES?
What has been your biggest challenge to navigate?
Currently, I am struggling with setting up the colour palette in the first stage of
painting. I feel I could go further only under the circumstances that dominant
colour tone has been ruling in painting.
Q4. Context?
How do you think your practice sits in today's context?
Well, that’s a pretty big question to answer. Still, if I say in an ambitious tone, I
think my work takes a role to remind people of the uncanny but irresistible feelings
when we fall in love and sadness with fresh eyes.
Q5. PLANS?
What's next on your practice-agenda? Goals, projects or any upcoming shows perhaps?
It may sound boring, but since graduation is coming, my practice has been focused
on the Degree show at GSA. Mainly painting and drawing on canvas. After the
show, I will go back to my home-home, Korea and have a sweet vacation - going
to collect all kinds of intimate love stories from old friends and family. But no
worries! In mid-September, I’ll come back to the UK! But not to Scotland but
England this time, I will move down to London for further study in painting. So...
well, hit me up if you are down for a studio visit? GSA pals are always welcome.
Hehe!
BONUS QUESTIONS:
Favourite studio food?
Sparkling water.
Keep up to date on Yeonsu's work by following her on Instagram at @yeonsuju and check out Yeonsu's other works through their website at www.yeonsuju.cargo.site.