Hyojeong Oh
Born: 2002 in South Korea
Education
Academy of Art University BFA(Bachelor of Fine Arts) Photography 2021-2022
California College of the Arts BFA(Bachelor of Fine Arts) Photography 2024~
BIO
Hyojeong Oh was born in Seoul, South Korea, but grew up in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do, a city known for its rice fields, and exists alongside factories and industrial spaces. Living between these contrasting environments, she became familiar with both the quietness of nature and the movement of people and industry. She is studying photography at California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco and is expected to graduate in 2027.
While drawn to fashion imagery and trends, she became increasingly aware of the emotional harm caused by consumerism and fashion marketing, and began to experience a sense of emptiness within this culture. This experience became the starting point of her artistic practice, which has since expanded into an ongoing exploration of how we can protect ourselves and hold on to what is meaningful while continuing to live in a world that can often feel empty and overwhelming.
Artist Statement
I began my photographic practice out of a fascination with fashion photography. I was drawn to its beautiful images, constantly changing trends, and power to generate desire and consumption. Yet, as I considered how my images affected others, I came to confront the violence of imposed beauty standards and the emptiness left by endless consumption. These concerns led me to explore consumerism through my work while also reflecting on how I produce and consume images myself.
I work primarily with film and darkroom processes. With film processes, I can physically experience every stage from recording to developing, printing, and storage. I am drawn to this slow, physical process. By directly altering film and deconstructing and reassembling images without digital processing, I have explored the emptiness and violence left by consumerism.
Recently, my interests have expanded toward the question of what allows us to keep living amid emptiness and anxiety. Humor is my first step in this exploration. I am interested in emotions and experiences that do not fit within narratives of salvation. Through playfulness, immaturity, and imperfection, I hope to explore the effect that things we easily overlook might play in each of our lives.