10:05am, Colour on Korean paper, 2024
Park Yunji is an artist based on Seoul, South Korea. She explores ephemerality in her practice, and while reading online I discovered her series of works depicting the shadows of trees. They immediately resonated with me because they reminded me of the cyanotype images I had been making using the shadows of foliage, however she has taken it a step further by composing the shadow textures into abstract works.
What is unique about Yunji’s work is that she uses layers of watercolour on a type of paper called jangji that is very absorbant, allowing her to create very subtle tonal transitions. She also uses beautiful colour palettes, emphasising the surprising way that shadows can contain vibrant colours. I like the tranquil feeling that her work evokes, where you can imagine the gentle movement of the shadows as the trees catch the wind.
I like that Yunji’s works are titled with the time of day that they capture. Something I noticed with my own ‘komorebi’ paintings when I received feedback from peers is that they often asked what kind of light the paintings depict- what time of day or season. I think that the less representative nature of the work inspires questions about its meaning and context. They wanted to know if there was any significance to it, why I had stopped to observe the trees and what I was feeling at that moment. I like to think that the small details- the colours and composition give some clue as to the emotions involved and I think this resonates with a viewer because they can project their own emotions and memories onto it, of times when they needed to stop and simply observe. I ought to consider this further, especially with my more abstract pieces where its more important for a viewer to understand it without the need for explanation.
2:10pm, Colour on Korean paper, 2024
4:45pm, Colour on Korean paper, 2024