18 February 2024
Artist Highlight - Yi Jiun Hung
Interview and Review
Yi Jiun Hung is a spatial designer and object maker artist based in London. Graduated from Royal College of Art interior design master degree in 2017. Back to Taiwan for years to work in the field of interior design, involving display, exhibition, interiors and furniture.
Passion for interiors, furniture and objects to experiment the possibility of materials, structures and forms to establish an identity based on human behaviour and culture. Pursuit on organic forms from anthropomorphising objects to create scenarios in testing experimental materials.
ARTIST INTERVIEW
1. Could you share how your background in spatial design and interior architecture has influenced your transition into object making and art, and how it shapes your unique artistic perspective?
When I was involved in spatial design, besides considering walls and ceilings, I also needed to design objects within the space. During this process, I gradually discovered my unique emotional connection to designing objects. I enjoyed translating the lines and elements of large spaces into small objects and found immense satisfaction in this process.
As I engaged in construction work, I became increasingly aware of the enormous amount of materials used in interior decoration. Nowadays, people don't tend to stay in one space for several decades as they once did. Some spaces are renovated or completely redone within just a few years. This led me to contemplate the meaning of designing these spaces. Decorations cannot be taken with us when we leave, but objects, from my perspective, possess sustainability and can be carried along. Objects tend to hold a deeper connection, meaning, or memory for people compared to spaces. I aspire to create objects that are unique and meaningful.
2. Your passion for experimenting with materials, structures, and forms to establish identity is evident. How do you navigate the balance between pushing creative boundaries and maintaining a sense of functionality in your furniture and object designs?
When I work, I don't initially designate whether they are furniture or objects. I begin by drawing what I envision, and perhaps because I regard them as unknown beings in my imagination, they tend to remain neutral.
3. "Take the biscuits" introduces the concept of anthropomorphised objects with unique personalities. Could you elaborate on how you give life to these objects and create scenarios through experimental materials?
I believe it's the lines that make them seem lifelike, breaking away from the conventional forms we associate with furniture and objects. Unexpected materials grant them unique personalities.
4. The Unknown Beings series challenges traditional material expectations. Could you delve into your approach to using biological materials and how it defies conventional notions of materials in design?
This series leans towards functional art. For "Take the Biscuits", I experimented with organic materials that I had been researching. These materials can create a distinct texture and, at the same time, repair surfaces. In the future, if you decide you don't want them anymore, they can be decomposed and reused. I hope these objects can have sustainable significance and be intriguingly special.
5. "Take the biscuits" offers portable dialogue through object movement. How do you envision these objects engaging in conversation and interaction when placed in different locations?
Objects placed in different spaces will naturally engage in different interactions. The intriguing aspect is that you never know who will place them in what kind of space. The distinct personalities of "Take the Biscuits" will naturally lead to different collisions and dialogues in varying spatial settings.
6. The concept of anthropomorphised objects can carry various interpretations. Could you share some of the emotions or narratives you hope to evoke from your audience when they encounter these unique beings?
I hope these objects can bring out the pure and childlike side of people. When viewers look at them, they can naturally be transported into a parallel dimension, finding them amusing and healing.
7. Your artistic statement mentions allowing the audience to imagine, think, and define the objects' meaning. How do you perceive the role of the viewer in completing the narrative of your creations?
A: I perceive that viewers' imaginations as they look at these objects can lead to different scenes and dialogues, simultaneously infusing these objects with vitality.
8. Looking ahead, how do you envision the evolution of your interdisciplinary practice, and what impact would you like your art to have on the way people perceive objects, materials, and the spaces they inhabit?
Concerning the shaping of spaces, I have always believed in using different objects to create spaces. I hope these objects can help people craft their unique spatial scenarios.
OBJECTS THAT LOOK BACK
Review by Chih-Yang Chen, Art Director
Yi Jiun Hung’s work begins with a shift in scale. Not just from space to object, but from something fixed to something that moves with us. Instead of designing environments we pass through, she focuses on things that stay close, things that travel, things that quietly gather meaning over time.
In Take the Biscuits, objects are no longer passive. They don’t simply sit within a room. They seem to arrive with a presence of their own.
There’s a looseness in how the forms are approached. They are not strictly furniture, not purely sculpture. They exist somewhere in between, resisting clear definition. This ambiguity feels intentional. It allows the work to stay open, to shift depending on where it is placed and how it is encountered.
What stands out is the sense of character. Not in a literal or illustrative way, but through line, posture, and material. A curve feels like a gesture. A surface feels like skin. These subtle decisions give each piece a kind of personality without over-explaining it.
The idea of anthropomorphism is handled lightly. The objects are not pretending to be human, but they hint at something familiar. Enough for the viewer to project onto them, to imagine a mood, a relationship, or even a small narrative.
Material plays a quiet but important role. The use of experimental and biological materials introduces another layer of thinking. These are not objects designed to remain unchanged forever. They carry the possibility of decay, repair, or transformation. That sense of temporality softens the usual rigidity of design.
There’s also an underlying response to how we live now. Spaces are increasingly temporary, constantly being reworked or abandoned. In contrast, these objects suggest continuity. They can move with us, adapting to different environments while holding onto something personal.
The notion of “dialogue” is particularly interesting. The objects don’t speak in a literal sense, but they interact through placement, proximity, and context. Put them in one room, and they behave one way. Move them somewhere else, and the relationship shifts. The work is never entirely fixed.
What Yi Jiun offers is not a finished story but a starting point. The objects are incomplete without the viewer, without the space, without the small decisions of where and how they are placed.
In that sense, they are less like objects and more like companions.