Originality & Identity

Jungyoon Hyen focuses on the invisible structures of power that operate between urban space, individuals, and communities. Based on her experiences of adapting to the systems of various newly developed cities, Hyen explores how planned environments regulate bodily perception and movement.

Her first solo exhibition, 《Walking on tiptoes》(Korean Cultural Centre UK, 2018), presented I see you from here(2018), a sculpture that visualizes the tension between feet and ground—serving as a metaphor for the individual’s negotiation of urban space.

Hyen’s sculptural works often express emotional states such as inertia or the repetitive anticipation of the future, manifesting them in anthropomorphic forms. In her first solo show in Korea, 《You Again》(os, 2019), she addressed the cyclical nature of repeated confrontations with the same systems. Works like On My Knees(2019) and Cooling my heels 4, 5(2019) metaphorically convey the inner state of a subject facing an uncertain future.

Starting with her 2020 solo exhibition 《I swim to cry》(SONGEUN ARTCUBE, 2020), Hyen raised more direct questions about the reproduction of power and the repetition of particular futures. In I swim to cry(2020), she presents a scenario in which the boundary between water and tears is indistinguishable, evoking a sense of suppressed emotion that ripples internally rather than being released outward. Through her sculptural forms, Hyen transforms contemporary emotions and structural realities into a political and poetic language.

Style & Contents

Hyen approaches sculpture through a deconstructive lens, combining non-functional everyday objects with construction materials in experimental ways. Items like door stoppers, locks, wheels, and carpets—stripped of their original utility—are recombined with stainless steel pipes, cement, styrofoam, silicone, and resin to generate unfamiliar sculptural languages from familiar materials.

Early works such as Retirement(2018) and On My Knees(2019) illustrate the physical tension and collision between dissimilar materials, highlighting the relationship between suppressed bodies and urban infrastructure. These pieces expand the concept of sculpture beyond form into scenographic arrangements.

This sculptural language evolves into narrative structure in exhibitions such as 《You Again》(os, 2019) and 《I swim to cry》(SONGEUN ARTCUBE, 2020). Hyen creates objects where materiality and symbolism are layered, using elements like silicone, clay, wire mesh, goggles, locks, and door stoppers.

In Cooling my heels 4, 5 and On my way 1, 2, functionless objects—bicycle locks without bicycles, or sculptures weighed down by door stoppers—visualize isolation and stasis. The work I swim to cry(2020) evokes emotional leakage and containment through material transparency and density.

In the group show 《Young Korean Artists 2021》(MMCA, Gwacheon), the collision between structure and body is reversed. In Gently holding you(2021), aluminum structures are not oppressive forces but are organically integrated into the body of the sculpture, suggesting a voluntary assimilation or coexistence with systemic structures.
Her recent works, such as Dancing Spiral 2, 3(2023) and Feeling you and Feeling me(2023), emphasize material tension, tactility, and generative potential. Combinations of silicone, resin, and steel pipes are twisted together in ways that recall living organisms. These ambiguous forms challenge fixed definitions of species and gender, prompting renewed reflection on human identity and life itself. In this way, Hyen's recent sculptures function not as static objects but as constantly evolving, generative presences.

Topography & Continuity

Throughout her practice, Hyen has consistently sought to give sculptural form to social relationships, individual subjectivity, and emotional structures. By assigning sculptural works theatrical roles and narrative hints—through placement and titling—she transforms her sculptures into active agents that engage with space and one another.

Since 2021, her works have moved beyond depicting oppressive conditions to exploring the ways in which sculptures assimilate or internalize those very structures. The forms have also evolved to suggest increasingly biological and sensory characteristics, expanding into non-human relationships. This development was clearly visible in the group exhibition 《off-site》(Art Sonje Center, 2023).

Hyen’s work expands the possibilities of contemporary sculpture, offering new perspectives on the intersections of institution and space, body and power, existence and material. Based in Seoul and London, she continues to actively participate in exhibitions and residencies including Seoul Art Space Geumcheon, MMCA Goyang, and New Spring Project, with future prospects pointing toward broader international engagement.