Emma Byun, United States

“Skin Deep”: Acrylic paint mixed with “oxidized” copper sheets and rust depicts close-ups of hands, knees, and a neck–intimate fragments of my grandparents’ aging bodies. The use of metal oxidation and rust symbolizes the passage of time and transformation, depicting the aging of skin. By looking more closely at these parts, the work challenges us to find complicated beauty where we wouldn’t normally look for it.

“Piecing Together a Self”: In this work, I make a literal puzzle out of a youthful self-portrait that depicts a more naive and optimistic moment for the subject. If you look closely, you will see elements such as a teddy bear, a doll’s house, school textbooks with Post-it tabs...

Emma Byun is a junior at Crean Lutheran High School in Irvine, California. She is a poet and artist whose work about “skinship” has been recognized by the NY Times and YoungArts, and has been displayed in galleries, juried exhibitions, and even a billboard in Times Square. She serves as an editor at her school literary journal, The Mirror, and for Polyphony Lit–a global literary journal.