ARTIST STATEMENT
In this work, I explore the tension between restriction and release through the material of nylon stockings. Nylon tightly wraps and shapes the body according to external expectations. By tearing and wounding the material, I reveal what lies beneath—a red intensity that suggests both passion and wound, a form of beauty emerging from within.
The surface carries traces of pressure, movement, and endurance, as if the body has danced to the point of rupture. Small elements resembling rubies evoke accumulated heat, desire, and energy—moments of intensity crystallized within the body.
Rather than presenting the female body as contained or passive, this work imagines it as something that exceeds its boundaries. The act of tearing is not only an act of damage, but also of release, allowing what has been compressed to emerge, expand, and reveal a hidden, jewel-like beauty.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Dahye Jung is a South Korean artist currently based in Chicago, where she is a junior studying Fine Arts at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Her practice spans painting, performance, and jewelry design, often integrating material experimentation with bodily references.
Her work explores themes of vulnerability, tension, and transformation through the reconstruction of the body. By combining delicate materials with processes of distortion and damage, she examines the relationship between physical form and psychological experience.
© Dahye Jung