Master of Fine Art School of Fine Art

Joy Baek (She/ Her)

A ceramic flower (Pulsatilla Koreana) on the top of the organic shaped ceramic body.

 

 

Joy Baek is a Korean artist currently based in Glasgow.

Adopting a multidisciplinary practice, Baek explores art as a line of dialogues which record the history of our times. Addressing the socio-cultural issues in Korean society, Baek’s work embodies both public and private interpretations of those issues.

Having graduated with a Fine Art (BA) from the Chelsea College of Arts in London, Baek recently completed her master’s degree in Fine Art from the Glasgow School of Art.

 

 

 

Joy Baek’s prime form in practice is performative sculpture, which features the co-existence of dynamic and static vibes emerging through the intertwined display of sculptural and time-based elements. The time-based elements are appearing either as a performance or as the use of materials whose exterior features change responding to time, such as latex and gelatine. This method highlights Baek’s interest in visualizing the concept of being pliable and rigid at the same time, which has been emerged from her belief that the virtue of using artworks to chart our lives allows for gaps and spaces we can fill with actions, thoughts, and conversations.

Baek’s current research has evolved from the narratives of the specific target group, the elderly prostitutes in Korea (the so-called Bacchus Ladies) to the precarity of the elders with the focus on housing issues and occupational aspects. While elaborating the precarity of the elders, Baek has sought to manifest the resilience of the elders as parents by borrowing the imagery of the symbolic flower, Pulsatilla Koreana (the so-called Grandmother flower), from the Korean folklore that highlights the sacrifice and unconditional love of an elderly mother for her daughters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contact
joybaek9327@gmail.com
J.Baek1@student.gsa.ac.uk
Website
Instagram
Works
The Ode to Grandmother Flowers – the second line
Immortal Things in the World of Mortal Beings, at least in the world that I see
A Series of Nothing Edible, Everything Sensible: How I recognized her waiting and Here, My waiting
Sprouting, Sprouting, Sprouting and Like A Pulsatilla Koreana
Nothing Tangible, Everything Sensible: Pulsatilla Koreana that lives in a hive
A ceramic flower (Pulsatilla Koreana) on the top of the organic shaped ceramic body.
Three performers with golden yellow satin fabrics covering their bodies are crouching on the floor while holding the tubes to stand. The tube has the projected imagery of red liquid moving up and down. The winkled tawny sculpture with the tube penetrating from its back is placed behind the performers.

Immortal Things in the World of Mortal Beings, at least in the world that I see

Video and installation / 00:08:30 / 2022 / Performers: Nanjoo Lee and Haeun Kim / Assistant: Hayden Judd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEUtOu2WMVA&t=119s
Two big wrinkled tawny-coloured sculptures in the picture have black and yellow masks on the top. One of the sculptures has a monitor installed. In that monitor, the same sculpture but in the form of the two pieces combined is in the middle of the space and a performer is moving around the sculpture with the yellow and black mask on. There are two ceramics on the floor, one of which has yellow transparent flowers and another one has snacks inside. One drawing is installed on the wall.

GSA MFA Degree Show 2022

The Ode to Grandmother Flowers – the second line

 

2022 / Plaster, iron powder, latex, and rusted metal

 

The Ode to Grandmother Flower

Plaster, iron powder, latex, and rusted metal 2022
For Sale: Price on Request

Immortal Things in the World of Mortal Beings, at least in the world that I see

 

Video and installation

00:08:30

2022

Performers: Nanjoo Lee and Haeun Kim

Assistant: Hayden Judd

 

 

 

Immortal Things in the World of Mortal Beings, at least in the world that I see

Installation view

Immortal Things in the World of Mortal Beings, at least in the world that I see

Video and installation 00:08:30 2022 Performers: Nanjoo Lee and Haeun Kim Assistant: Hayden Judd

Mask that the performers wore

A Series of Nothing Edible, Everything Sensible: How I recognized her waiting and Here, My waiting

 

 

 

 

Nothing Edible, Everything Sensible: How I recognized her waiting_1

Stoneware ceramic, gelatine, wire, and plaster

2022

 

 

 

 

Nothing Edible, Everything Sensible: How I recognized her waiting_2

White porcelain stoneware ceramic, plaster, and expired Yakult

2022

 

 

 

 

Nothing Edible, Everything Sensible: How I recognized her waiting_3

White porcelain stoneware ceramic, plaster, and expired peanut caramels

2022

 

 

 

 

Here, My waiting_4

Stoneware ceramic, plaster, and newly refilled Choco-pie (for visitors)

2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A series of Nothing Edible, Everything sensible: how I recognized her waiting and Here, My waiting was derived from my memory of visiting elders’ houses in which the elders live alone. The memory goes back to about 12 years ago.
The centre of my memory was this woman whose name can’t be recalled; yet, I still vividly remember how this elderly woman kept food supplements from the volunteering organization in which I was included until my next visit with other students and offered that to us.

 

“Several times, I noticed some of the food passed expiration dates. I was too young and immature to think about her hospitality or waiting embodied in the food she offered us. I remember how I threw them away when I left her house.”

 

Reinvigorating my emotions and memory of that moment, I installed this series of ceramic pieces with expired food (Yakult and peanut caramels, the food that she gave me) inside to demonstrate the hospitality from the elderly woman, which I would illustrate as the poignant warmth.
Regarding my work, Here, My waiting, I am offering viewers one of the foods given to me by the elderly lady in past: Choco-pie.

Nothing Edible, Everything Sensible: How I recognized her waiting_1

Stoneware ceramic, gelatine, wire, and plaster 2022
For Sale: 200

Nothing Edible, Everything Sensible: How I recognized her waiting_1

Stoneware ceramic, gelatine, wire, and plaster 2022

Nothing Edible, Everything Sensible: How I recognized her waiting_2

White porcelain stoneware ceramic, plaster, and expired Yakult 2022
For Sale: £70

Nothing Edible, Everything Sensible: How I recognized her waiting_2

White porcelain stoneware ceramic, plaster, and expired Yakult 2022

Nothing Edible, Everything Sensible: How I recognized her waiting_3

White porcelain stoneware ceramic, plaster, and expired peanut caramels 2022

Here, My waiting_4

Stoneware ceramic, plaster, and newly refilled Choco-pie (for visitors) 2022
For Sale: £100

Here, My waiting_4

Stoneware ceramic, plaster, and newly refilled Choco-pie (for visitors) 2022

A Series of Nothing Edible, Everything Sensible: How I recognized her waiting and Here, My waiting

At GSA MFA Degree Show 2022

Sprouting, Sprouting, Sprouting and Like A Pulsatilla Koreana

 

 

 

Sprouting, Sprouting, Sprouting

Colour pencil, charcoal and marker on Joy’s childhood sketchbook

36.2 (W)x 25.7(H) cm

2021

 

 

 

Like A Pulsatilla Koreana

Colour pencil, charcoal and marker on Joy’s childhood sketchbook

36.2 (W)x 25.7(H) cm

2021

Sprouting, Sprouting, Sprouting

Colour pencil, charcoal and marker on Joy’s childhood sketchbook 36.2 (W)x 25.7(H) cm 2021
For Sale: £120 including the frame

Sprouting, Sprouting, Sprouting

Colour pencil, charcoal and marker on Joy’s childhood sketchbook 36.2 (W)x 25.7(H) cm 2021
For Sale: £120 including the frame

Like A Pulsatilla Koreana

Colour pencil, charcoal and marker on Joy’s childhood sketchbook 36.2 (W)x 25.7(H) cm 2021
For Sale: £50

Nothing Tangible, Everything Sensible: Pulsatilla Koreana that lives in a hive

 

2022 / Gelatine, latex, metal bar, acrylic corrugated sheet, acrylic, wig, wire, and Jihye’s hairs

 

 

 

 

 

Nothing Tangible, but, Everything Sensible: Grandmother Flowers that live in a hive began with Joy’s memory of this elderly woman who lived alone and greeted her with other volunteers on their regular visit to her house. While elaborating the precarity of the elderly woman in Joy’s memory with the focus on her living environments, Joy has sought to manifest the resilience of the elders as parents by borrowing the imagery of the symbolic flower, Pulsatilla Koreana (the so-called Grandmother flower), from the Korean folklore that highlights the sacrifice and unconditional love of an elderly mother for her daughters.

Nothing Tangible, Everything Sensible: Pulsatilla Koreana that lives in a hive

Shrinking gelatine, darkening latex, rusting metal, acrylic corrugated sheet, acrylic, wig, wire, and Joy’s hairs 2022

Nothing Tangible, Everything Sensible: Pulsatilla Koreana that lives in a hive at GSA MFA Degree Show 2022

Nothing Tangible, Everything Sensible: Pulsatilla Koreana that lives in a hive

Nothing Tangible, Everything Sensible: Pulsatilla Koreana that lives in a hive

within a different composition