Emily Yong Beck

Emily Yong Beck (b. 1999, Daegu, South Korea) is an interdisciplinary artist who received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute in 2021. Yong Beck’s work has been featured in the solo exhibitions Lions & Lambs, Gaa Gallery Provincetown, MA, Spoonful of Sugar at New Image Art, Los Angeles, CA, Gimbap Paradise at Lefebvre et Fils, Paris, FR, and Soft Power at The Pit, Los Angeles, CA. Beck has been awarded residences at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, Newcastle, ME, Township10, Marshall, NC, The Residency Program, Versaille, FR. Beck lives and works in Chicago, IL.

“I use clay to criticize ways in which countries have hidden or obscured their violence through media and specifically cuteness. I work mainly in ceramics to explore how cartoon imagery can encourage the perpetuation of systemic injustices and generational silences. Oftentimes cuteness can be associated with femininity, babies, puppies, but never strength. It is important to me that I acknowledge the historical erasure due to imagery perceived as harmless because of the cute exterior. Although the imagery is often very specific to my own experience, I want it to encourage others to apply the same critique of all imagery we are encouraged to consume.”

Visit Emily Yong Beck’s Instagram page.