Monday, November 16, 2026

Nayeon Yang

Interdisciplinary Artist & Social Worker

“Tomorrow’s News”

Nayeon Yang is an interdisciplinary artist and social worker based in Chicago and originally from South Korea. She explores the relations of systemic 'foreign(ness)' and 'presence' as well as capital and labor through her projects. Yang has exhibited at different venues, including Northeastern Illinois University art gallery, Hyde Park Art Center, Buddy at Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago Artists Coalition, Roots and Culture, Co-Prosperity, Defibrillator Performance Art Gallery (Chicago), apexart (New York City), Weston Gallery (Cincinnati), Roy G. Biv Gallery (Columbus), PAB Open (Bergen), Latitude 53 (Edmonton), and Rund Gallery (Seoul). Yang is an alumna of residencies such as Center Program, Hatch, High Concept Labs, Birdsell Projects, ACRE, Wassaic Project, and others. Recently, she was awarded an Individual Artists Program grant from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), SPARK Grants from the Chicago Artists Coalition, and an Individual Artists Support Grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

"Through my interdisciplinary art practice, I investigate the relationship between labor and capital, exploring our interconnectedness within the global economy and the lives shaped and constrained by it. My creative process spans various visual art forms, including installation, video, site-specific works, and participatory art. Often, my projects incorporate text from news articles, survey data, and historical accounts. I recontextualize these elements into objects and forms of documentation, prompting viewers to reflect on the roles we, as individuals and a collective, knowingly and unknowingly play within the global neoliberal system. Through this approach, audience participation and presence become integral to the experience of my interdisciplinary practice."