Yang Jung Uk (b. 1982) creates narratives through moving sculptures. From stories about himself to his imaginings of the daily lives of others observed around him, he reconstructs these narratives using the movements of analog machines. His works are not mere accounts of what he has witnessed but instead embody a desire to uncover something within personal memories and the diverse lives of everyday people.

In 2013, Yang Jung Uk held his first solo exhibition, “The Shop Where We Said Mere Hello,” at Gallery SoSo. The exhibition featured works inspired by people he observed while working the night shift at a convenience store. Yang reconstructed these small moments of daily life into images, which he then reinterpreted as moving three-dimensional sculptures.

His "moving narrative sculptures" are composed of analog mechanical devices that connect familiar everyday objects, such as wood, light bulbs, and plastic PET bottles, with strings and operate them with motors. The repetitive movements of these mechanical devices create sounds and gentle light that evoke a lyrical and multisensory experience.

Yang Jung Uk’s early signature work, Fatigue Always Comes with a Dream (2013), is based on the image of a security guard he observed while working a night shift at a convenience store. Late at night, when everyone was asleep, Yang imagined the dreams the dozing security guard might be having as he nodded off inside the small security booth. 

This cylindrical structure, driven by a small motor, is composed of dozens of wooden pieces and plastic PET bottles connected by strings. It reimagines the story of the guard and his dreams through a moving sculpture. The repetitive motions of the wooden pieces and PET bottles evoke the image of the security guard visible through the open window of the booth, nodding off as he sleeps. The light emanating from within the structure casts geometric shadows that unfold like surreal scenes from a dream.

Yang Jung Uk focuses on ordinary individuals who spend their days in constant motion. His observations of working people are transformed in his mind into new narratives, which are then conveyed in sensory forms through quick sketches and moving sculptures.

The Standing Works series (2015–2016) stems from the artist’s imagination about the lives of retirees or those whose businesses have closed down. The narrative of this work begins with the story of individuals who, after dedicating themselves to a single profession, retire and take on temporary jobs to sustain their livelihoods for various reasons.

Yang noticed subtle rhythms and habits in the gestures of temporary workers who often perform "standing" jobs—traces unconsciously carried over from their previous work. These diverse rhythms, created by the movements of temporary workers, are reinterpreted through the repetitive motions of machines standing firmly on the ground, persistently and dutifully moving in an endless cycle.

Each piece in the Standing Works series carries a story about a specific individual. Alongside the installation works, the artist often provides a short written narrative, inviting viewers to bridge the gap between the artwork and its story, between the tangible and the intangible, using their imagination.

“She used to be a gymnast. Now, she serves at a diner frequented by truck drivers. Moving gracefully, she weaves through the rough traces left behind, carrying dishes with fluid precision. Sometimes, a customer will say, ‘You could’ve been a gymnast.’”  —Artist’s note on Standing Works #10

The Friends Who No Longer Meet (2017) series stems from the artist’s personal memories. Through this work, Yang reflects on past friends from his school days or workplace—individuals whose names he can no longer remember—and translates their stories into sculptural forms.

In each piece, the artist captures the essence of these forgotten friends’ obsessions with various topics by using materials he does not typically employ in his works. These materials are carefully chosen to embody the characteristics of the conversations he once shared with them.

The Scenery of Dialogue (2017) series is based on the artist’s experiences and memories of married life. These works take inspiration from the tensions and push-and-pull dynamics often found in everyday conversations between spouses, particularly when they hold differing perspectives. 

The movements of the pieces, driven by motorized mechanisms to continuously maintain balance, structurally and sensorially represent the processes of conflict and compromise inherent in dialogue. Within each work, the artist incorporates small objects, inviting viewers to imagine and infer the nature of the conversation being depicted.

‘Balance’ has been a central motif in Yang Jung Uk’s work since his early career. This theme traces back to a memory from his late-night shifts at a convenience store, when he noticed a tiny fly hovering motionlessly over a company worker’s head.

Although the fly appeared still, it was in fact furiously flapping its wings to maintain its position. Observing this, the artist came to view balance not as a fixed state but as a continuous process of tilting to one side and then recovering equilibrium—a repetitive cycle.

This concept of balance has influenced Yang’s installation works since 2013, often taking the form of structures inspired by the shape and movement of hovering flies. His 2018 work, The Balance Artist Has Never Slept Still, expands on this idea, reflecting on individuals who constantly navigate and balance their roles in daily life.

In his short essay Balance of a Certain Person, Yang Jung Uk writes: 

“There are certain points in life that return us to our humanity. The more we remember these points, the more human we become. However, there’s no need to struggle to find them. In truth, they aren’t confined to specific events or places. They’re often hidden within the ordinary landscapes of everyday life, always reappearing if we don’t forget to notice.” 

Yang’s stories, rooted in the seemingly trivial and mundane scenes of daily life—like the fluttering wings of a fly—reflect his aspiration to become a better human being.

His new work, A Cherishing Heart, currently featured in the “Korea Artist Prize 2024” exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, continues the themes explored in his previous work, Scenery of Dialogue. In this piece, Yang delves into the emotions exchanged within family conversations—love, hate, fear—and how these feelings grow, shrink, disappear, and intertwine. He transforms this emotional landscape into a sculptural form, capturing the complex mix of feelings.

Much like how two individuals in a marriage gradually change, influence each other, and become intertwined as one, the numerous small pieces in the artwork are connected and balanced, moving together to create a cohesive landscape.

In this way, Yang Jung Uk continuously observes our ordinary lives, pouring his heart into them. The stories he wishes to convey, drawn from his desire to uncover the essence of life within these everyday moments, are presented through his works. His sculptures, made from simple materials, persistently move, reflecting the struggles and hopes that characterize all of our lives.

"I believe we need to unravel the most solid stories at the foundation of our lives. It's important to organize even the smallest stories thoroughly." (Yang Jung Uk, Yonhap News Interview, March 3, 2019)

Yang Jung Uk majored in sculpture at Gachon University. Yang has held his solo exhibitions at various institutions including OCI Museum of Art (Seoul, 2022), Gallery Hyundai (Seoul, 2019), Domaine de Kerguehenne (France, 2017), and DOOSAN Gallery (New York, 2015).

Yang has also participated in group exhibitions at Sungkok Art Museum, Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, DOOSAN Art Center, Seoul Museum of Art, Nam June Paik Art Center, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), among others.

Last year, Yang was selected as one of the finalists for the "Korea Artist Prize 2024," organized by the MMCA and SBS Foundation. His works are in the collections at the MMCA, Seoul Museum of Art, Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, and Southern Utah Museum of Art.

References

• 양정욱, Yang Jung Uk (Artist Website)
• 갤러리현대, 양정욱 (Gallery Hyundai, Yang Jung Uk)
• 국립현대미술관, 양정욱 | 피곤은 언제나 꿈과 함께 | 2013 (National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Korea (MMCA), Yang Jung Uk | Fatigue Always Comes with a Dream | 2013)
• 국립현대미술관, 올해의 작가상 2024 – 양정욱 (National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Korea (MMCA), Korea Artist Prize 2024 - Yang Jung Uk)
• 갤러리현대, 어제 찍은 사진을 우리는 잘 보이는 곳에 걸어 두었다 (Gallery Hyundai, We placed the photograph taken yesterday in plain sight)
• 연합뉴스, "바닥에 있는 가장 딴딴한 이야기 탄탄하게 풀어내야죠", 2019.03.03