Cay Yoon

About

American,   —   Cay Yoon explores themes of isolation, anxiety, and ambition as well as the absurdity and humor that often parallel these states of existence.  Her sculptures are initially born out of intuitive and impulsive drawings about certain thoughts and/or emotions, both explicit and abstract. Then she guides the pieces to their final self-actualized selves through the process of translation from two dimensions to three dimensions, sculptural explorations, and formal play.  As for her material choice, she is drawn to the corporeal qualities of clay.  She uses the intimate physicality of working with clay to push and pull and give shape to her inner narratives.  She finds that what drives her studio practice is not unlike the way some comedians and humorists turn their own idiosyncratic experiences into art- using them as material, applying artistic license, and ending up with something that maybe resonates with other people. Cay Yoon was born in Seoul, South Korea and currently lives and works in Long Island City, NY. She received her MFA from the University of Pennsylvania and her BFA from Carnegie Mellon University. Her works have been exhibited at Sculpture Space NYC, ChaShaMa Presentation Space, Site:Brooklyn Gallery, 440 Gallery, Governors Island Art Fair, and Trestle Gallery. Cay has been an artist in residence at Shell House Arts in Roxbury, NY, the Bronx Museum’s Artist in the Marketplace (AIM) program, Chashama’s ChaNorth in Pine Plains, NY, and the Vermont Studio Center. In fall 2021, she will be participating in the Bronx Museum’s Fifth AIM Biennial.