Artist Statement
Shin Yeon Jeon

Since 2021, I have been creating ceramic objects using Korean consonants and vowels, exploring the visual dialogue between English and Korean that reflects my bilingual and bicultural experiences living in the United States for decades. I merge this with human figure sculptures to reinterpret historical figurative ceramics from a contemporary, cross-cultural perspective.

Starting in the spring of 2023, I began conceptualizing and creating figurative ceramic objects incorporating the Hangul alphabet. This typeface explores the bilingual experience between English and Korean as both experiential typographic forms and narrative structures. Using a paper doll technique I developed, I craft multiple figures combined with Hangul characters on porcelain slabs, forming round, open sculptures.

In gallery installations, I aimed to integrate various visual communication mediums—ceramic containers & sculptures, video, and tape art—to create dynamic, interactive movement, allowing these diverse media to harmonize into a cohesive whole.

October 2024

Always driven by the invisible aspects of human life, I feel that emotions are the least visible and the most ephemeral elements of a human being. My goal is to depict the transient aspects of human emotions in solid ceramic sculpture, transforming them into a permanent state. Instead of a literal description of the human form, I attempt to suggest feelings by use of ambiguous facial expressions. The psychological presence and the emotional content in the work keep the vitality and integrity of artistic expression in my sculpture.

Winter 2008

Background: Self Portrait – I (Ceramic Head) 19"x 9"x 8.5"

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