Yuni Yoshida finds fantasy within reality in first overseas exhibition in Seoul

Arts & Design

Published: 26 Jun. 2023, 14:28 Updated: 26 Jun. 2023, 16:12

Yuni Yoshida finds fantasy within reality in first overseas exhibition in Seoul

"Layered" (2018) by Yuni Yoshida [SEOUL MUSEUM]

Apple peels dripping from fruit like ketchup. Parts of a hamburger blurred out in pixels. A human gimbap. Carrot high heels. Safety pins made from tulips.

These are among many images that just don’t sit right in reality and most likely need the help of computer graphics or an illustrator to manifest. But in the case of Yuni Yoshida, a Japanese art director, she has actually brought the aforementioned ideas to life and captured them on camera.

The 43-year-old likens herself to an “alchemist” in her first exhibition overseas at the Seoul Museum in Jongno District, central Seoul.

Yes, she has cut the apple peels herself to make them appear like they are dripping like ketchup and she has cut the hamburger into cubes and arranged them to look like a mosaic without the help of any technology. After visiting the exhibition last month, it was not an exaggeration to say that she really was practicing alchemy, except in her case, transforming food or other everyday materials into magnificent scenarios.

For the past 15 years, Yoshida has been commissioned to come up with these pieces for advertisements for brands like Walt Disney and Hello Kitty, music videos, album covers and even posters for television shows.

The “Alchemy” show compiles all 230 of her works, including the newest collection, “Playing Cards” (2023), which is being shown to the public for the very first time.

"Playing Cards" (2023) by Yuni Yoshida [SEOUL MUSEUM]

In the final section, Yoshida reinterpreted an entire deck of playing cards on the wall with all 54 cards portrayed differently, from nicely-cut peppers arranged as 10 of hearts to laundry on a drying rack to appear like eight of diamonds.

The special cards, like the king and joker, were each represented by cluttered tabletop settings, and are among the many works that Yoshida urges visitors to look at closely to see the fun details as they are all comprised of objects that are familiar to anyone.

It’s hard to imagine the dedication and time needed to perfectly create each piece, and for Yoshida, it took her five years just to map out the designs for the playing cards. Surprisingly, it took her just three months to then turn the work into a reality.

“I’ve always liked to play with cards since I was little,” Yoshida explained during a tour of the exhibition last month. “As it’s my first time to show my works abroad, I thought it would be a good idea to show my own original version since playing cards are relatable to anyone.”

Yoshida shared more of her insights behind her designs.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Yuni Yoshida [SEOUL MUSEUM]

Q. Why do you work with your hands, when computer graphics can easily do all the work for you? How long does it take to complete each piece?

A. There are a lot of reasons why I express my designs in analog methods, but I guess the biggest reason is because I’m able to reflect the warmth and passion better in the final results when I make them myself. Computer graphics can make things easier for me, but I think it’s easier to translate my ideas into reality when I take matters into my own two hands. And I personally am not good at handling computer graphics. For me, the creation process is important because it helps me discover new unexpected aspects during it.

As for how long it takes for me to work on one piece, there are times in which I prepare thoroughly beforehand and get the results exactly as I want in a short period of time. The fruits are one example: I have to take the photo before they start to rot or change color.

"Peel" (2019) by Yuni Yoshida [SEOUL MUSEUM]

Why do you call yourself an art director, rather than an artist?

Although I do have works that I’ve made for myself, I do a lot of commercial advertisements. It’s not that I do not enjoy working in a freestyle environment, but I just like working under pressure and trying to find a solution in those situations. When I get satisfying results, that’s when I feel a sense of accomplishment and pride, which is why I prefer to be referred to as an art director.

The poster for the Japanese drama series "Elpis" that Yuni Yoshida designed by arranging stacked notebooks [SEOUL MUSEUM]

Most of your works are pictures and they are already available to view online. What do you think makes exhibiting them in an offline museum more unique?

The reason why I take photographs of my works is because most of them are made from natural objects [like fruit]. I do want to show them off in their original forms, but since I can’t, I wanted to capture them on camera so that that specific moment lasts permanently, and I wanted that feeling to last. The images on Instagram or online aren’t that big, so I wanted to expand their size in the exhibition so that visitors would be able to see the details better.

"75 years of girls" (2011) by Yuni Yoshida, commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the fashion magazine "SO-EN" [SEOUL MUSEUM]

A lot of your work revolves around cutting and pasting bits and pieces onto each other. Why are they highly centered on “fragments”?

I like to say it’s finding fantasy within reality. When I was little, I used to like nonfiction more than fantasy genres. But at the same time, I was interested in the scenes that you are unable to see unless you dig a little deeper, like the hidden parts that no one would know unless they tried cutting them for themselves. I try to derive new perspectives by doing that. I’ve also always enjoyed examining things through a microscope, so I thought this would be another way to find fantasy in real life.

The black king of clubs as part of "Playing Cards" (2023) by Yuni Yoshida [SEOUL MUSEUM]

“Alchemy” continues until Sept. 24. Seoul Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Wednesdays to Sundays. Tickets are 20,000 won ($15) for adults.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]