Meet Isolina Minjeong | Sculptor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Isolina Minjeong and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Isolina, alright, let’s jump in with a deep one – what’s you’re definition for success?
Success to me, is being able to ascribe value, passion, and excitement to all that you do; and having the community, opportunity and agency to achieve those dreams! It never ends either! The more you succeed, the more you realize that this world is full hope and the potential for so much goodness; especially when it comes to more ambitious projects.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a large-scale “figure” sculptor that works in clay. I definitely think that alone sets me apart from other sculptors; because the medium and scale is so tightly bound in its history and monolithic kind of presentation. What I set out to do though, is to pivot and add upon that paradigm with my own narrative, inspirations, and techniques. A sort of satirical spin!

I’ve been building a society of ceramic protagonists called the “Woogies” for about five years now. (A twist on “Boogie Woogie” because I’m always dancing in the studio). They’re these larger than life figures inspired by American cartoons, Asian animation and bootleg toy design amongst other things. The quest is to lead every project with an attempt to memorialize a feeling, memories, people, or just life itself. Narratives unravel and these adventurous characters become markers of time spent and people loved. If I laugh out loud, or just feel uplifted at just how ridiculous something is turning out, I know I’m going in the right direction.

My practice is pretty manic haha. I’m currently based in Brooklyn, and I’ve been on this quest of trying to balance indulging in this exciting world while also attaining knowledge and wisdom; so that I can drag mountains full of feelings and humanity into the studio. It gives me more juice to really flesh out what I want to create. I haven’t gotten a good grip on the realities of time yet, so sometimes I feel so far away from my ambitions. Sometimes it feels like I got smacked on the head, and I’m living this fever dream. Clay and I have created this symbiotic friendship where we‘re constantly building each other up: I build a piece, and in turn he gives my life meaning and a roof over my head. Ceramics is powerful like that. It’s a spiritual force that wears on you both mentally and physically; you have to be careful. What I’ve learned is that you’ve got to get a firm grip on who you are and what you want to do in this world. Once you feel like you’ve embraced yourself fully, your practice will blossom a kind of clarity and peace; presenting you with a lifestyle that must be tread with a confidence that everything will be okay as look as you don’t give up. It’s a lot of trial and error. Things blowing up in your face. Several feet of clay collapsing. But the meaning lies on this journey.

I stumbled into a ceramic studio in college, totally dismissing it at first, (taking the class just for the credit). Never had I been so challenged and fulfilled with a tradition of making. It was physical, it was sentimental, it was kind, and there was this constant mode of problem solving that always kept me on my toes. felt like it was what I spent my whole life looking for. I’m still figuring it out, and I’m still in disbelief that my life revolves around such immense creativity. No one saw it coming, not even myself. I was raised thinking that I’d be going into some kind of military service, and both sides of my family have roots in the Korean and Peruvian navy.

When you guys ask “what [I] want the world to know about [me] or [my] brand or story? I guess I’d like answer that kind of like this: My boyfriend said the other day that “life is short but art is forever”, and I instantly agreed with him. I’m not trying to tap into something serious or conceptual; I just want to feel something-to feel life in all of it’s screwed up glory; and I hope you’re left with something similar after hanging out with my work. 🙂

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh damn! Okay so first place we’d go is this tiny hole in the wall French bakery in Ukrainian Village called Le Fournil! We’d get cheesy meat melts and a coffee, then maybe swing to Chinatown and get matching “fuck you” shirts with you because we’re cute like that. Then I’d take you to the lower east side so we can see a bunch of gallery shows, and top that off with pizza and beer from Scar’s.. For dinner, we’d probably make our way back to mine apartment in Crown Heights, where I’d introduce you to all my beautiful friends by hosting a get-together on my rooftop. The night would be so young and we’d probably end up at a show or comedy club. Everything would be in the air except for my love for the universe and you being in it! 🙂

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have so many people to thank it’s crazy. I wouldn’t be where I am without meeting my first Korean-American professor & mentor / large-scale icon, Victoria Jang; my New York mentor (also a huge ceramic iron), Sana Musasama, who helped house and guide me into this new chapter of my life (love you love you love you!), the badass crew of sculptors I got to mentee under: Andrea Keys Connell, Misty Gamble, and Cristina Córdova; my legendary studio pal in college, Billie Murray; the Color Network and their lovely organizers & lifetime mentors April Felipe, Adam Chau, Natalia Arbelaez, and Salvador Jiménez-Flores; and lastly my grounding friends for their cosmic relationships containing boundless love & cheerleader-like support: Emily Crumling, Lou Howard, Hope Glassel, Ian Privett, Layal Srouji, Camara Porter, and Keya Tama. Every single persons love I received in this long list grounds, humbles, and inspires me. Thank you all for firewalking with me, we’re only just getting started.

Website: isolinaminjeong.com

Instagram: isolinaminjeong

Image Credits
Small wall pieces plus standing sculpture shot by Amy Torres, Rebecca Gohn shot the watermelon piece), and Sophia Wilson shot the process photo.