Yunghun Yoo's latest exhibition, "Union Station," has taken over the 839 Gallery in Los Angeles, and it's a must-see for anyone familiar with Southern California's transportation system. The Korean-American artist weaves together a complex narrative of connection and parting through his bold, expressive paintings that traverse multiple themes.
For Yoo, trains represent more than just a mode of transportation; they embody the idea of heterotopia – spaces where societal norms are distorted and reflected in a new light. By capturing the slow pace of transfers, phantom platforms, and detours, Yoo paints a picture of liminal experiences that hover between two worlds.
One standout piece is "Exit Wound," a large abstract painting dominated by bright yellow hues, with layered brushstrokes radiating from a central crossing point. This work depicts a gunshot wound as landscape, with flesh splintering and twining into horizon lines – a powerful metaphor for the pain of parting with something that leaves a lasting mark.
In "8 (2)," another piece in the exhibition, Yoo experiments with opacity to capture the ephemerality of train rides. This small work features two columns of nebulous spheres bound together by faint ligatures of color, representing platform assignments subject to transpositions or reconfigurations. The painting's ambiguity is intentional, promising no reassurance that your train will arrive or take you closer to your destination.
Yoo's paintings also touch on the tension between representation and abstraction, often blurring the lines between the two. For instance, "Train II" features a cylindrical shape chugging along train tracks, but its landscape is reduced to monochromatic haze – an unsettling blend of reality and suggestion. Similarly, "Beach" is a self-portrait that doubles as a psychological sketch, with the artist's head stretched over a Vitruvian Man in a delicate balance between roasted and charred.
Ultimately, Yoo's work is about capturing the discomfort and euphoria that arise from movement and transition. His paintings are interstitial spaces where the body becomes another site of passage – never fixed but briefly and serendipitously encountered. By exploring these liminal experiences, Yoo invites viewers to consider the complex web of connections that shape our lives, even as we move through the world at breakneck speed.
The 839 Gallery's exhibition space has also played a crucial role in enhancing Yoo's thesis. The Southern California transportation system is juxtaposed against the surrounding landscape – trains hovering over kitchen sinks, railway signals beside an empty telephone niche – creating a sense of disorientation and wonder. As you navigate this exhibition, it becomes clear that Yoo's work is not just about trains but about the human experience of connection and parting in our increasingly complex world.
For Yoo, trains represent more than just a mode of transportation; they embody the idea of heterotopia – spaces where societal norms are distorted and reflected in a new light. By capturing the slow pace of transfers, phantom platforms, and detours, Yoo paints a picture of liminal experiences that hover between two worlds.
One standout piece is "Exit Wound," a large abstract painting dominated by bright yellow hues, with layered brushstrokes radiating from a central crossing point. This work depicts a gunshot wound as landscape, with flesh splintering and twining into horizon lines – a powerful metaphor for the pain of parting with something that leaves a lasting mark.
In "8 (2)," another piece in the exhibition, Yoo experiments with opacity to capture the ephemerality of train rides. This small work features two columns of nebulous spheres bound together by faint ligatures of color, representing platform assignments subject to transpositions or reconfigurations. The painting's ambiguity is intentional, promising no reassurance that your train will arrive or take you closer to your destination.
Yoo's paintings also touch on the tension between representation and abstraction, often blurring the lines between the two. For instance, "Train II" features a cylindrical shape chugging along train tracks, but its landscape is reduced to monochromatic haze – an unsettling blend of reality and suggestion. Similarly, "Beach" is a self-portrait that doubles as a psychological sketch, with the artist's head stretched over a Vitruvian Man in a delicate balance between roasted and charred.
Ultimately, Yoo's work is about capturing the discomfort and euphoria that arise from movement and transition. His paintings are interstitial spaces where the body becomes another site of passage – never fixed but briefly and serendipitously encountered. By exploring these liminal experiences, Yoo invites viewers to consider the complex web of connections that shape our lives, even as we move through the world at breakneck speed.
The 839 Gallery's exhibition space has also played a crucial role in enhancing Yoo's thesis. The Southern California transportation system is juxtaposed against the surrounding landscape – trains hovering over kitchen sinks, railway signals beside an empty telephone niche – creating a sense of disorientation and wonder. As you navigate this exhibition, it becomes clear that Yoo's work is not just about trains but about the human experience of connection and parting in our increasingly complex world.
i mean, who wouldn't want to stare at a painting of an exit wound or a train track dissolving into haze all day? it's like he's taking these mundane places and turning them into psychological landscapes that make you question everything about your own experiences. and i love how he plays with color and texture to capture the ambiguity of our lives – sometimes it's bright yellow, other times it's monochromatic, but always somehow both and neither at the same time 
. I mean, who knew trains could be so symbolic of connection and parting? It's like he's takin' us on a journey through these in-between spaces where reality gets all distorted 
. And those paintings? Absolutely mesmerizin'! "Exit Wound" is give me chills 
, it's like you can feel the pain of partin' with somethin' that leaves a lastin' mark. I also love how he experiments with abstraction and representation, blurrin' the lines between the two 
. It's like he's invitin' us to see the world in a whole new way, to consider all these complex connections that shape our lives 
.
. gotta get back to los angeles ASAP to see this exhibit in person 
The way Yunghun Yoo's paintings traverse multiple themes, blurring the lines between representation and abstraction, is truly captivating. His use of trains as a metaphor for heterotopia – spaces where societal norms are distorted – is particularly insightful 
Yunghun Yoo's latest show is 
I mean, have you seen those bold paintings? 
. The way he captures the liminal spaces between connection and parting is so 
.
. It's like he's asking us to question what's real and what's just a suggestion 
That's some next-level stuff right there 
. It's like Yunghun Yoo's work is taking you on a wild ride through the transportation system and then dropping you back into reality 
. But in a good way, you know? 
It's like he's making us think about how our lives are connected to each other in ways we might not even realize 
.
. Trust me, it's worth the ride 
.
Yunghun Yoo's art is like a rollercoaster ride for your emotions - 
. His paintings are like abstract puzzles, trying to make you figure out what's real and what's just a suggestion 
. And that "Exit Wound" piece? 
I'm all about exploring liminal spaces, where reality gets distorted 
. Yoo's art makes you question everything, which is exactly what it's meant to do 
. and with "Beach", I love how he's using self-portraiture as a way to explore these deeper themes of identity and connection. it's like you're seeing yourself in the painting, but also someone else – it's so disorienting and wonderful 
. It's like Yoo is saying that our lives are all about these interstitial spaces - we're always moving between places, people, and experiences... but sometimes it's okay to get stuck in one spot for a minute, to really look at what's going on around us.
"Exit Wound" is this insane abstract piece that looks like a gunshot wound but its like, landscape 
And that other piece "8 (2)" with all those ambiguous spheres... it's like he's capturing this ephemerality of train rides and how they're always shifting. 
