Eunhae Yoo

Originally from South Korea, eunhae yoo (she/her) immigrated to California as a pre-teen. Yoo received her BFA from UCLA and is currently based in Brooklyn, N.Y. She is a multi-disciplinary, conceptual artist working in various mediums—as a part of her process-based practice—and her works merge technology, craft, personal narratives, and identity politics.

Embracing nostalgia, fantastical portals and otherworldly ephemera have become crucial conceptual motifs that respond to the impacts of the diaspora. My encrypted realms ask for suspension of disbelief and reclaim the word “alien” – a legal term for describing immigrants. Often starting out as digital renders in the process, an amalgam of signifiers weave in narratives that oscillate the mimetic with magical realism. Relating to the slippage of identity and effects of code-switching between cultures and mental spaces, ideas are often reiterated from one medium to another—taking form as lenticular prints or miniature amulet-sculptures. Currently, the subject matter or patterns that dominate the works are Korean characters of transliterated English words or “universal” symbols that act as either coded orthography or easter eggs that provide contextual insight.

Interview with Eunhae Yoo

Hi Eunhae! Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you became interested in becoming an artist? Who or what were some of your most important early influences?
Growing up in a suburb of Seoul, South Korea, I didn’t know any artists or what that meant but I was always drawing. I also recently rediscovered an old sketchbook page of symbols I made up in grade school – which confirmed that my obsession with iconography has always been there. Looking back, my mom was my earliest influence and still plays an important role in my practice as an artist. Even though she would never claim that title herself, she’s an incredibly gifted artist and we had her stenciled works and other handmade ephemera around the house. I still remember the feeling of finding my mom’s old sketchbook as a kid – it was so eye-opening. The realization that my mom possessed this incredible ability to draw felt groundbreaking – like finding out about a secret super power that she kept from us – and that moment planted a seed of me wanting to follow in her footsteps. Living in a small town was also great because my siblings and I were taught origami folding, polymer clay-building, singing, and other creative workshops from moms in the neighborhood who were making some side income. I’m so grateful that I was exposed to those creative outlets and that I grew up in Korea because I constantly find myself returning to Korean crafts in my practice now. All in all, I didn’t think much about art other than as a hobby. It wasn’t until high school – when I was encouraged by my art teachers (forever grateful to Ms. Green, Ms. Amundson & Ms. Scallon) – that the course of my life majorly pivoted. The next life stage that solidified my passion for art was during my time in undergrad as an art major. That formative period of my life clearly marks when I got hooked to the pursuit of becoming an artist. Before then, I’d never known how art can purely be an expression of curiosity and visual questions without answers.

Where are you currently based and what initially attracted you to working in this place? Are there any aspects of this specific location or community that have inspired aspects of your work?
I’m currently based in Brooklyn, NY. I’m nearing six years here and am hoping that my inexplicable connection and awe for this city will never fade (so far so good). That simple feeling of “I’m just happy to be here” feeds into my artwork since I want to create from a place of wonder. With social media nowadays, I do find a lot of incredible sources of inspiration online. But I can’t downplay the creative frequency I feel from existing in a “big pond” because so many different types of artists find our way here to experience what this city has to offer. And how being immersed, seeing and experiencing art in person – which can be unintentional and coincidental sometimes from having to walk everywhere – has inadvertently seeped into my work.

Can you describe your studio space? What are some of the most crucial aspects of a studio that make it functional? Do any of these specific aspects directly affect your work?
Currently, I make most of my works from my apartment and partly at a ceramics studio to turn my digital renderings into tangible sculptures. I view utilizing different materials as part of a system in my process-based approach – which “translates” the same concept into various forms. I’ve been temporarily joining a studio or makerspace that provides access to specific, specialized equipment when I want to bring a certain vision to life. For now, I’m living a project-based, nomadic life until I can figure out a more permanent studio situation.

What are you working on in the studio right now?
I’m working on one of my portal-vessels that’s setting the tone for the fantastical realms I’m building out. The piece is inspired by anime/animations I grew up watching. I seem to be spending my adulthood returning back to everything I thought I “shed” while coming of age and assimilating to a new culture. The piece has been evolving from its original digital rendered state because I’m problem solving issues (like gravity) that I don't have to worry about when I'm digitally sculpting. This sculpture leans heavily into a newly developing series of narratives I’m establishing around otherworldly devices, or imagined magical objects, that hold memory and reclaim the derogatory term like “alien” that’s used to describe immigrants.

What are the primary themes of your work right now?
Fantasy weaves through all my works. Embracing otherworldliness along with nostalgia ultimately confronts my ongoing dissection of grief and loss as a part of the human condition. My focus on portals and dreaming up different realms address the lived experience of navigating a sociopolitical identity but also the broader themes of grief and loss that comes with displacement and estrangement. I’m also obsessed with thinking about semiotics / signifiers to create a personal orthography that reflects on what kind of role “legibility” plays in the relationship between the artwork and the viewer.

What is on your mind a lot recently?
Luck as a concept and motif has been living rent free in my head. Now I notice its traces more. Like finding my lucky number written on the floor or angel numbers when I’m out and about. Connecting the dots to see how much of a role luck plays in the little things to big events has sort of become a bit of a game I play with myself. They’re another kind of portal. The arbitrary nature of life is endlessly fascinating.

What is a typical day like? If you don’t have a typical day, what is an ideal day?
While I want to be someone with a routine, I’m not that kind of person (as of now). No two days are ever the same and I think that works for my personality. And honestly, I don’t even know how to describe an ideal day because there isn’t just one framework I’m chasing after…but feeling like I had a fun studio day, having good food in good company filled with laughter and conversations that leave me wanting more does sound like a gratifying combination of moments. 

What gets you in a mindset conducive to making work?
For me, either a forced break from having to focus on my day job or voluntarily stepping away from making art when I’m uninspired recharges the momentum for this pure desire to create something, anything. Researching, aka scrolling through online archives and my saved folders of inspos, usually sparks new ideas and makes me itch to try out different techniques too.

What criteria do you follow for selecting materials? How long have you worked with this particular media or method?
My material choices usually stem from: what makes sense within the conceptual context I want to explore, pragmatic decisions, or a medium I want to play with. Right now, that’s been ceramics. I’m also hooked on glass and metal working – they’re materials that I’ll always be drawn to. Something about fire transforming these elements into such different results is so enthralling and addictive. I’m also new to these mediums and barely scratched the surface working with them within the last three years. So, there’s so much to explore with glass, metal and clay that I’m sure I’ll spend a whole lifetime cracking away at.

Can you walk us through your overall process? How long has this approach been a part of your practice
My fascination with language has always been there ever since I can remember. So I started to think about converting a concept from one medium to another as a translation. For the past several years, I mostly worked in digital formats since that was the only accessible medium for my practice. It’s only recently in the last four years that I started to translate my digital, 3d rendered imagery into tangible works. I really enjoy working with the constraint of each medium because finding ways around the limitations creates unexpected outcomes. Also, I love how the essence of each work morphs depending on my process and materials, which conceptually reflects the nature of translations that I’m intrigued by.

Can you talk about some of the ongoing interests, imagery, and concepts that have informed your process and body of work over time? How do you anticipate your work progressing in the future?
Other than my obsession with portals, I’ve been into kitschy mainstream iconography like hearts and clovers and other familiar shapes. I also utilize written Korean characters to transliterate English words which sometimes turn into patterns or visual keys for the work. It’s fascinating how arbitrary shapes were assigned meaning and communicate a shared, collective understanding within a cultural context. My big vision for my portals and sculptural works is to ultimately evolve into a world with its own recognizable flair and exist as large installations or site specific works that people can experience.

Do you pursue any collaborations, projects, or careers in addition to your studio practice? If so, can you tell us more about those projects, and are there connections between your studio practice and these endeavors?
Yes I’m collaborating on a sculptural installation with a close friend and artist Danni Huang. We found ourselves connected by similar yearnings and our artistic visions aligned so seamlessly that we organically decided to combine our skillsets. Our mixed-media piece integrates holograms, animation, sculptural elements and interactivity. It’s still in the works and hopefully we’ll be finished and showing the piece by 2026.

Can you share some of your recent influences? Are there specific works—from visual art, literature, film, or music—that are important to you?
Hayao Miyazaki is and always will be a major influence in the way I create work. I love the whimsy and messaging behind his animations. His admiration for child-like curiosity shines through his works and I hope to never lose that spirit either.

Who are some contemporary artists you’re excited about? What are the best exhibitions you’ve seen in recent memory and why do they stand out?
I’ve been following Shuling Guo’s gorgeous ethereal paintings for a while now and am obsessed with sculptural works by Pamela Tan, Chen Lu Hou, and Wen Liu. All of these artists are creating worlds that I want to be a part of.

Do you have any tips or advice that someone has shared with you that you have found particularly helpful?
Yoshitomo Nara’s answer regarding “giving advice” to young artists really stuck with me. In an interview, he shares that he never sought out or considered asking for advice from anyone. Because he believes that joy is found even in the struggle. And mentions that actually if he had asked people for advice, he probably would’ve quit art easily. This is obvious but it was helpful to be reminded that being an artist isn’t an answer that can be found by relying on someone’s advice but something to be discovered on your own. Because “you’re the one who cares most about yourself…[the only one] living your life with your own best interests at heart more than anyone else.” It was a great reminder to not lose sight of my North Star.

What’s coming up next for you?
My series of mini portals have been on hiatus for a while now so I’m brewing some ideas for the continuation of those sculptures. There’s also a pull towards grad school…planting the seeds for that and will see what happens.

Anything else you would like to share?
I’m really grateful to have had this opportunity to reflect on who I’ve become during the past few years. Thank you for letting me indulge and reflect on my inner world. Free Palestine, Free Sudan, Free Congo. Abolish ICE. No human being is illegal. Families belong together.

Thank you so much for sharing your work and talking with us!

To find out more about Eunhae and her work, check out her IG.