Installation view of 《Pyromaniac》 ©SeMA Storage

Miryu Yoon focuses on the essential conditions of portraying the human figure.

Installation view of 《Pyromaniac》 ©SeMA Storage

Much like a firebug who ignites a tiny flame on a scrap of paper to set off a larger blaze, the artist begins with a small clue discovered in a real-life subject, kindling sparks of imagination to stage various scenarios. Within these imagined contexts, the model interacts with their surroundings, weaving narratives that ultimately construct fictional images. For Yoon, the real person becomes both a sensory trigger and a vehicle for visualizing the created story. Through them, she explores the potential for new narrative forms within the traditional medium of painting.

Installation view of 《Pyromaniac》 ©SeMA Storage

In her exhibition, titled 《Pyromaniac》, no images of fire are to be found. Here, the term pyromaniac refers not to literal flames but to the fictive characters imbued with diverse attributes—much like those with an innate tendency toward arson. At the same time, it reflects the artist herself, constantly searching not for the climactic moment of an event, but for the heightened tension just before it unfolds.

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