Yooyun Yang: Uncommon Sight at Stephen Friedman Gallery, NYC

Dates: Thursday May 29 – Friday July 18 2025

Opening: Thursday May 29, 6–8 pm

Gallery hours: Tuesday–Friday, 10am–6pm Saturday 12–6pm

Stephen Friedman Gallery, New York is pleased to present Uncommon Sight, an exhibition of new paintings by Korean artist Yooyun Yang. This is the artist’s first solo exhibition in New York, following her ambitious US debut in the 58th Carnegie International in 2022.

Yang’s paintings depict the space between the real, the imagined and what she describes as the ‘visual error’ experienced when something is not as it first appears. Working from snapshots, Yang creates enigmatic visual narratives that delve into the corners of contemporary life and the fleeting moments that are frequently overlooked. The artist’s technique of building up multiple thin layers of acrylic paint on absorbent Jangji paper – handmade Korean paper made from mulberry tree bark – combined with her soft muted palette coalesce to form a hazy cinematic effect reminiscent of film noir.

Yang’s paintings invite us to consider the tricks our minds play on us and the individuality of perception, ever warping within an uneasy world.