Meet Yong Eun (may) Kwon

We were lucky to catch up with Yong Eun (may) Kwon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Yong Eun (May), we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

My work is a kind of rest for me. Not rest like leisure, entertainment, or hobbies, but more like letting go and emptying out. I’m someone who thinks a lot. I’m the type who worries about the sky falling. Daily life can be overwhelming for someone like me. Relationships, busy schedules, responsibilities, and things that don’t go my way all fill my mind with complex thoughts. That’s why I created my half-human, half-fish persona, Fish Daegari.
(Which means fish head in Korean)
It started simply because I wanted to get rid of my head filled with complex thoughts. And I replaced my head with a fish’s head. Fish have no eyelids, so you can’t read their expressions. No expressions mean I don’t have to show what I’m thinking. The pink, naked body represents the rawest form of me, without clothes or even skin. Underneath our skin, we’re all just pink meatballs.

Through Fish Daegari, I can let go of the overwhelming complexities of modern life and feel the fundamental lightness of my existence. Just like a fish can’t live out of water forever, I know I can’t be Fish Daegari and must live in reality and society. But I always yearn for that brief rest, and I find it through my work. I’m not looking for a grand liberation or a radical change. Just like looking up at the sky by chance in a busy day, I try to find small but refreshing moments of rest in my work. The purpose of my work is to provide relaxation for me, who is always exhausted from everything.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am an artist who seeks relaxation and liberation from everyday life. I completed my BA,MA in sculpture in Korea and recently graduated from SVA MFA. I am based in New York and have had several group exhibitions and am currently having a duo show at Stephanie Kim Gallery in Tribeca from July to early September.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

It’s hard for me to talk about this because I’m still at the very beginning of my journey and I’m still experiencing and learning a lot of new things.

When I think about my artistic journey so far, the most important thing for me is what I like. I’ve loved animation since I was a kid and its influence continues to this day. Having something I really like keeps me from wavering in pursuing it on my artistic journey.

Another thing is consistency. Art is something that you do because you want to do it without being told to do so. So there are many times when you get tired easily and want to give up. However, consistency in doing even a small thing every day helps overcome that. It doesn’t eliminate worries, but it helps you hold on to them without giving up.

Lastly, the people around me. When I do art alone, I can easily become locked in and lonely, but I try to meet people around me and connect with them. Beyond simply gaining energy from them, the people around me broaden my artistic perspective and make sure that my art is not just mine.

Of course, at the foundation of all of this, the most basic and important thing is the skill to create the art that I want to create, but I think that is something that I also have to continue to learn and practice throughout my life.

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?

Balancing in life is my challenge right now. It can be work and rest. It can be exercise or rest. As an independent artist, finding the right balance for me is the most important thing right now. However, each and every one of them is still burdensome and difficult.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fishdaegari.com/
• Instagram: @fish_daegari