Juel
Date2023
MediumInk and acrylic on wood
Dimensions10 × 10 × 4 inches (25.4 × 25.4 × 10.2 cm)
Object number2024.4
On View
Not on viewCollections
Copyright© 2023 Duff Woon Yong.
The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextDuff Woon Yong's works are called “ookee”—a term coined by Yong inspired by 烏奇, which loosely translates to “dark strange,” in Chinese Mandarin. While Yong’s depictions are intended to remain abstract, they evoke legions of amoeba-like creatures that wrap around or overtake their support. Nearly always represented in black-and-white, the works are created on wood panels, paper, and recycled materials that have personal significance. Inspired by Chinese calligraphy, ink painting, video games, and street art, the artist conceives of his work as “automatic drawing(s) similar to Surrealist automatism, an expression of the unconscious mind.”
Raised in Singapore, Yong received his M.F.A in Computer Art with a focus on Motion Graphics in 2001 from the Savannah College of Art and Design. He has been a professor of Motion Media Design at SCAD since the early 2000s and was the director of Mr. Beast Gallery, formerly located on Bull Street in Savannah, GA, between 2010-1. Yong has exhibited in Taiwan and Savannah and has collaborated with local artists on numerous street art projects.