Wednesday 31 January - Wednesday 28 February

A contemplation on the circularity of birth, daughterhood, and home.

My sculptural figures invite you to peer into their illuminated openings, revealing hidden realms nestled inside. Inspired by the cycles of birth, daughterhood, and home, I explore the interplay of exterior forms and interior space, transforming each sculpture into a prismatic experience. Echoing life's intricate rhythms, these works reflect a form of femininity that is closely tied to maternal life. As vessels of tangible and unseen stories, they embody the intimate exploration of these interconnected themes.

In a more literal sense, these sculptures feel a little like a rebirth of myself. I went through a lot of change in the past few years as a person and as an artist and these recent works have come to reflect this new being. My attachment to the vaginal opening as a keyhole to the inside of these vessels comes from the complete fascination I have with the idea that I was “born” to my mum and because of that I now exist as her daughter. How wild! I love the idea of our life and our existence echoing the rhythms of nature, we are born and we die through the bodies of women, of mother nature and the cycle goes on.

The moving images that can be seen inside these artworks are of myself in Long Bay and Campbells bay, areas near my childhood homes. I experienced two unwanted migrations as a child which felt a little bit like getting ripped away from my home by my parents. And each time I had to reinvent my identity and give birth to new personas. To me, the ideas of home and self are so rooted in nostalgia of a certain place, a certain scenery, and a certain element of mother nature in New Zealand. She feels like my home and I am grounded here in these places to exist as a girl, a daughter, a woman.

Important note about the videography attached to these works:

When I got the idea to add moving images to the inside of my sculptures for Final Resting Place, Anasa appeared in my life like an angel at the most perfect moment. Our roller skating Sundays became space to discuss the content of these videos.

Unfortunately, I am unable to have these works installed with the videos running as the devices posed a fire risk. In this installation, I have printed stills of the videography for you to view inside. However, please follow this link to enjoy the stunning works by Anasa Fraser.

Artist Bio

Yeonjae Choi is a ceramic artist based in New Zealand. She obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts from RMIT, Melbourne in 2017. Choi draws on her Korean heritage and her personal experience as an Asian immigrant growing up in Aotearoa/New Zealand to study the relationship between interior and exterior of her sculptural vessels. She works in a range of media, ceramics, glass and light to create artworks that are equally seductive, unsettling and intriguing. The carved, lit up faces on the exterior of her vessels mask an interior world of private thoughts, trials and dreams.

@yeonyjay
yeonjaechoi.com

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