Yerang Moon
Solid or Liquid
Yerang Moon (b.1999, Seoul, Korea) is a sculptor currently based in New York as a Fulbright scholar. Driven by a curiosity about how individuals become collectives, She explores the dynamics of our lives. She makes paintings, high reliefs, and installations to delve into the complex relationship between individuals and society by metaphorically exploring 2d and 3d visible and non-visible aspects of humans. Yerang received a BFA at Seoul National University before starting her MFA at Pratt Institute in 2023. She participated in the group shows:
[International Exhibition] at Awita New York Studio in NY, [980617-2] at Rainbow Cube Gallery, and [X Being X and Not X at the Same Time] at Woosuk Gallery in Korea. Recently, she was selected as a resident artist in the Cellar Artist Run Residency in Brooklyn, NY starting in May,
2024. Also, two exhibitions in the United States, including a solo exhibition at the Mora Museum of International Art, are scheduled this year.
Yerang Moon Solid or Liquid
Artist Statement
In my work, I avoid depicting exact appearances, instead exploring how individuals merge into a collective. My figures are distorted, nude, and ambiguous, yet all are connected. Through tracing the sensory image of my body and recalling my experiences with others, I liberate the human form. I invite viewers to discard their preconceptions about how they wish to be perceived by others.
I believe life contains no absolutes, no purely good or bad, and that a person can never be complete. This belief draws me to gray spaces, where the conflict between extremes profoundly shapes identity. Identity, a central theme in my work, is visualized through the irregular contours of my characters, representing the unstable inner states. With these shapes, I question the appearance of our unstable status and seek answers on finding harmony within a group despite inner conflicts.
For me, art does not provide definite answers; it challenges what seems natural by presenting inexplicable reflections. This approach extends to my creative process, where I blur the lines between work and life. The scenes I create are not derived from single moments but from ongoing narratives of people I have observed. I begin by recalling images, conversations, and situations from memory, then build and recombine these moments through painting and sculpting. The vividness of real life is the most crucial aspect of my work.
