Yelin lee

embodiment and self identity

Emotions Are Built, Not Found: Lisa Feldman Barrett and the Constructed Mind

Barrett’s work supports my belief that emotions are not universal truths but shaped encounters—making sensory art a fitting vehicle to explore them.

Ritual, Marking, and Letting Go: Natascha Stellmach in Dialogue with Tattoo Practice

Stellmach’s work reframes art as an act of emotional release, not just representation. It strengthens my belief that tattooing can be ritual, reflection, and reconstruction—all inscribed through mark-making that is both physical and psychic.

Stitching Identity into Skin: Aurélie Wintsch and the Materialization of Self

Wintsch’s framework uses embroidery as a tactile, narrative method of identity work. In dialogue with this, I view tattooing as a form of psychological cartography—both intimate and public—where skin becomes a social and emotional record.

The Body as Archive: Hannah Wilke and Embodied Memory

Wilke’s fearless approach to embodiment empowers me to view tattooing not only as self-expression but as a collaborative act of memory and care.

Unraveling Identity Through Lines: Julie Mehretu’s Abstract Mapping

Mehretu’s practice shows how abstraction can become a mirror for emotional complexity. Through her indeterminate lines, she opens space for multiplicity and ambiguity—key aspects of how identity and emotion function in my own creative explorations.