Yoonjee Kwak
South Korea
Born: South Korea
Originally from South Korea, Yoonjee Kwak earned her MFA in Ceramics from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2014. Kwak recently accepted a three-year artist residency at Penland School for Crafts in Penland, NC. Before arriving in Rochester, Kwak received her BFA in Ceramics and Glass at Hong-Ik University in Seoul, South Korea. [1]
Kwak was a resident artist and taught ceramics classes at the RIT from 2014 to 2017. In 2016, she was awarded an Emerging Artist from the Ceramics Monthly magazine, and was one of the summer resident artists at the Bray. [2]
Kwak uses hand-building techniques to create her sculpture. This method allows her to “leave evidence” of her process and interactions with the clay, and record the “interactive conversation” she had with the piece during creation.
Discussing her creative process, Kwak explains, “Clay allows me to tell the story of my memories that are left behind from diverse and unpredictable relationships between others and myself. My memories are expressed by using precarious and fragile forms. These memories can be represented in my work through exploration of the duality between weakness and strength.” [3]
[1] “Creating Meaning Through Art: Meet Ceramic Artist Yoonjee Kwak,” an interview blog article on RocGirlGang.com, 06/05/2017, https://www.rocgirlgang.com/blog/2017/6/5/creating-meaning-through-her-art-meet-ceramic-artist-yoonjee-kwak. (Accessed 10/03/2017)
[2] “Home,” yoonjeekwak.com. (Accessed 10/03/2017)
[3] Yoonjee Kwak, “Artist Statement.”