Ye-Joon Yang
Color pencil artist
Ye-Joon habitually grips a color pencil in his hand and shakes it. This mannerism, coupled with his remarkable dexterity, imbues ordinary colored pencils with a unique vitality. The lines he draws twist, wriggle, and undulate to animate the canvas. Ye-Joon, an artist of few words, expresses himself vividly through his artwork.
Exhibitions
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24 group exhibitions
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4 art fairs
Awards and recognitions
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1st place (elementary school category), 40th Art & Culture Festival for Workers (October 19, 2019)
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1st place (elementary school category), 18th World Children’s Folk Painting Drawing Contest (October 30, 2021)
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1st place (elementary school category), Special Olympics Art Competition (November 8, 2021)
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Finalist, Start Art Fair 2022 Student Art Contest (August 31, 2022)
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1st place (painting category), 7th Angeli Art Museum National Art Contest (September 17, 2022)
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1st place (elementary school category), 2nd Hana Art-verse Art Contest (March 20, 2023
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And many others (total of 61 awards)
Special exhibitions
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Participated in 2022 Saatchi Gallery Exhibition at UK (as the final award of Start Art Fair Korea Student Art Contest)
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Participated in advertising bus campaign for 4 years (as the bronze award of 2019 COVID-19 Seoul City Bus Art Contest)
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Decorated the cover page of 2022 Big Issue Korea magazine (as the final award of Big Issue Korea cover contest)
Link
Celebrating MLK Day
Martin Luther King, Father of Peace and Love
20” W x 24” H | Color pencil, oil pastel, marker | 2023
Ye-Joon, only 13 years old (as of 2023) and the youngest among the artists I collaborate with, has demonstrated remarkable insight. His artwork vividly captures the essence of Martin Luther King Jr. The microphones in front of MLK symbolize his profound influence and relevance both in America and globally. In the piece, MLK is depicted with a vibrant, glowing aura against a fluttering American flag.
Titled "Martin Luther King, Father of Peace and Love," this artwork is Ye-Joon’s contribution to our collection celebrating MLK Day. He portrays Martin Luther King Jr. as a towering tree in America, with the lines beneath his neck representing the roots. The numerous eyes in the drawing symbolize the many people who have looked up to Martin Luther King Jr.
Celebrating Independence Day
A Woman Crying Out for Freedom and Hope
65cm W x 80cm H | Color pencil, oil pastel, mixed media | 2024
The artwork portrays a woman shouting for freedom and liberation. At first glance, she might seem silent, but a closer examination shows her mouth wide open, vocalizing her demand for liberty.
Perched atop her shoulders are doves, symbols of peace, each holding a laurel leaf in its beak, signifying songs of freedom and tranquility. The woman helps these birds, previously confined within a bottle, to ascend freely into the sky, symbolizing emancipation and independence.
Enveloping her from behind are countless hands, each representing the universal plea for freedom and autonomy, offering support and solidarity. The collective gaze of many eyes amplifies her cry, morphing into the wind and clouds, infusing the scene with energy. This vigor flows through the hands like lifeblood, underscoring the shared struggle and unity in the quest for liberation.
A Woman Dreaming of Freedom and Peace
61cm W x 72cm H | Color pencil, oil pastel, marker | 2024
The woman, dreaming of freedom and independence, embodies intense desire for liberation and self-determination. She breaks away from the chains that bind her, symbolizing her yearning for freedom and independence. Gazing at doves soaring peacefully in the sky, she holds a necklace, a symbol of peace, in her hand. The dove, also an emblem of tranquility, rides the wind, ascending with her hopes towards the heavens. Her eyes, shimmering with vitality, long for independence and freedom, symbolizing her strong resolve for independence.
A Mouth Crying Out for Freedom and Liberation
46cm W x 53cm H | Color pencil, oil pastel | 2024
Artist's description of the artwork
I drew the mouth of a person crying out for freedom, liberation, and independence. I portrayed peace with the Statue of Liberty in a beautiful pink color, adorned with a crown. I enlarged the eyes of the doves celebrating on the left and right side because I wanted my eye, at the bottom, to make a strong visual connection with the doves. The white smoke around the mouth represents the joyous shouts, expressing the splatters of saliva and gusts of wind that erupt when one is finally free and liberated. This intertwining of elements expresses that joy.
Other representative artworks by the artist
My Eyes, Nose, Face
41.8” W x 25.6” H | Oil painting on canvas | 2023