Dain Yoon is a South Korean artist who works with a bit of an unorthodox canvas—the human body. Most of the time it’s her own, but sometimes it’s someone else’s.
Regardless, besides the interesting choice of canvas, she’s also versed in all things illusions. Much of her work involves hiding the face so well that people often end up trying to figure out what they are seeing in the first place.
Yoon has always enjoyed painting, it was something that she felt best at, which landed her in some of the most prestigious art schools in South Korea. Everything from scenography to theatrical design to special effects makeup—she did it all, and continues surprising her numerous fans across her social media.
And no, this ain't photoshop.
“My everyday experiences and point of view of our world is what inspires my illusion series,” Yoon explained the inspiration behind her mesmerizing illusionary art.
“I think the reason my work sparks the reactions it does is because I make sure my work is inspired by true feeling, and I am happy that people are there to receive and be affected by them. I am a very sensitive person and my emotions have always been the source of my inspiration. And painting is the language I express myself in, in the same way as a musician uses music to communicate their emotions.”
Yoon continued: “I get inspired by my feelings, both emotional and physical. Since both of my parents worked day jobs, I had a lot of time to think on my own when I was young. Although everyone feels emotions, I was overly sensitive, to an abnormal extent. So when I started painting from a young age, back when I used to paint on canvases and paper, the subject matter of my work was almost always about people and emotions.”
“I always try to be a better artist than the one I was yesterday. It inspires me to keep my focus on further developing my art.”
As you might have guessed, Yoon’s art is every bit challenging, but it is by no means a bad thing as it’s exactly what drives her to be the best she can be.
“Every art piece has definitely been a challenge. I actually like the word 'challenge’ a lot, I always try to do new things, and never remain stagnant. I really work hard and I think my life and career have developed a lot because of it. As time went on, my perspective on art has grown, and it led me to do things on a bigger scale, and different types of mediums as well. And I definitely look forward to many more opportunities to come.”
Believe it or not, there have been times when Yoon would go out wearing one of her illusions. Like, people could see it. So, we asked her how people reacted and she had this to say:
“It was very different depending on the cities and countries. The first time was in Seoul, I remember the majority of people were scared of me,” laughed Yoon. “The warmest welcome and recognition was in New York, though!”