“In the beginning, I was so young and such a stranger to myself I hardly existed. I had to go out in the world and see it and hear it and react to it, before I know at all who I was, what I was, and what I wanted to be.” —Mary Oliver

Art was Yeji's earliest language — a way of making sense of the world after immigrating from Korea to the United States as a child. Straddling multiple cultures, languages, and customs profoundly shaped how she engages with others and herself. The intergenerational distance within her family continues to inform her work, drawing her toward the ambiguous space between what is felt and what can be expressed, and giving form to what often remains unspoken.

She also finds deep inspiration from nature and from listening to people share stories about their own individual journeys. There is a shared understanding in navigating unknown terrain, in standing at new thresholds, and in experiencing the quiet tension that precedes transformation. These moments of passage mirror the internal landscapes she seeks to explore through her art.

Working across ink, watercolor, charcoal, and oil paint, Yeji allows meaning to surface through intuition rather than control. Her practice is a space where complexity can be held gently, a way to explore memories and emotional landscapes. Through her work, she hopes to offer others a moment of reflection, inviting them into their own process of uncovering hidden facets of themselves.