Joy Baek

How to render silenced voices to be heard through art and what are implications of this deed have been the focal ideas in my art practice. My journey of searching for answers has commenced by examining women’s stories that are mostly derived from Korean society. Addressing issues related to women’s...

How to render silenced voices to be heard through art and what are implications of this deed have been the focal ideas in my art practice. My journey of searching for answers has commenced by examining women’s stories that are mostly derived from Korean society. Addressing issues related to women’s lives has embodied private and public interpretations of the matters. That is, throughout my practice, steady interactions with people have played a key role; it has strengthened my faith in art as a line of dialogues.

I have perceived my work of creatively escalating socio-cultural issues in Korean society as an act of charting Korean society by reflecting the voices of socially and culturally underrepresented people. As an artist attempting to raise voices about issues in society, the carefulness of which narrative and aspect I am empowering has always been underlain in my artworks. As well, the idea of how to maintain this action of elevating the voices of others has resulted in my inclination to create series of works for the long term. The precaution of who I am representing and the sustainability of acts are the points where I perceive my art practice embracing ethea of activism.

My recent works in particular allude to the issues regarding the stances of non-Korean labourers in Korea, focusing on silenced voices and their repercussions. The theme was examined by investigating the precarity of non-Korean labourers and the role of the authorities. I have addressed the issues in the labour industry with a focus on two different loci: factories and agricultural workspaces.