Artist Bio
Anna Yuh Kyung (b. 1989, Seoul, South Korea) is an Oakland-based ceramic artist whose vibrant sculptural work draws from flowers, weeds, and imagined plant forms. Working in clay for over 20 years, her practice explores the quieter, often overlooked moments of living: the unfamiliar seasons, shifting identities, and subtle transitions that shape us over time. With over twenty years of clay experience, Anna invokes the slowness of the material to re-engage with a sense of presence that is lost in the day-to-day rush. Having lived between cultures, she reflects on how moving through different seasons of life have shaped her interest in the emotional spaces that mark these transitions, but are often hard to describe.
Anna received her BA with Honors in Ceramic Design from Central Saint Martins in London, England. She lives and works in Oakland, California, where she maintains her studio practice and co-owns Merritt Ceramics, a community ceramics studio supporting a growing community of artists and makers.
Artist Statement
For me, the most interesting part of a flower isn't when it's in full bloom. I love that awkward stage where it's only halfway there. I'm much more interested in that moment of transition and process than when it arrives at its finished bloom. Flowers, weeds, and imagined plant forms have become the language of my work as something many of us already recognize. Their familiarity leaves room for personal interpretation, while bright color and playful forms invite us to linger just long enough for something quieter to emerge.
My interest in these in-between stages has grown from years of moving between cultures, different seasons of life, and the many versions of myself that those experiences have revealed. Although the work begins from my own chapters of life, it is not meant to tell a single story. These sculptures don't ask us to arrive anywhere, they simply offer a place to pause, wonder, and resist the urge to rush toward an answer. I hope they leave enough room to stay with viewers long after they've walked away, accompanying them through the moments that are still unfolding.
