ARTIST STATEMENT
With funding from Wise And Circle (WNC), a non-profit feminist art organization based in Seoul, South Korea, Seyeong interviewed women workers about their gendered experiences in the workplace. Based on the stories of interviewees, Seyeong created artworks that focus on the feminist perspectives on women and the act of labor.
‘Nest’ speaks to the unity of women as a whole.
We all came from one nest.
We have broken our shells to come out into this world.
We are Cuckoos. The one who hatched first has thrown others out of the nest.
We are Birds-of-Paradise. Men have cut our legs off and locked us up in their imaginations.
We are Robins. We live harmoniously with one another in unison.
UNISON. WE UNITE.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Seyeong Hanlim is a South Korean Visual Artist currently based in Granville, Ohio. Studying Political Science, Philosophy, and Studio Art at Denison University, Seyeong confronted her biases and limits while raising her voices about the imbalanced power structures within our society. She overcame burnout through sculpting, and through this process became interested in artistic expressions that surface social problems across the spectrum of gender, race, and environment. Focusing on these three elements, Seyeong creates artworks that urge us to take a critical perspective on issues that we might have previously taken for granted.
When Seyeong visited an art supply shop as a beginning painter, she got trapped in endless options and found herself wondering whether she had to choose paints labeled as for “experts” or for “non-experts.” This inquiry sparked her challenge to engage in art free from fixed forms and conventions. As an artist, Seyeong aspires to reflect alienated lives and illuminate them to the public. Inspired by everyday surroundings and objects, she creates paintings, sculptures, and installations that speak to the obscured struggles and complexities of life.
Recently, Seyeong partnered with Shihwa Lake Savers, an environmental activist non-profit, to camp in Daebu Island during the near-extinct Eurasian oystercatcher’s breeding season from April 2022 to June 2022. She worked with local politicians and City Hall to organize mass clean-ups, and created art installations with a selected portion of over 50 tons of collected trash and natural derivatives. Her works have been displayed in various galleries across the globe, including Bryant Arts Center, Kimhongdo Art Museum, Sowoo Gallery, Hwarang Museum, and Dongduk Art Gallery.
© Seyeong Hanlim