Grant Riven Yun
Nostalgic digital landscapes
“There is always a story to be told wherever you are in this world just by looking around at your surroundings.”
Grant Yun proves there is beauty in everything. Taken from life experiences, he immortalises the day-to-day – the drive home from work, looking out the window, going to shops. Each of his works is rooted in reality, and his process is meticulous. Working initially from photographs, he returns to his computer with a clear mental sketch. He then adds a grain texture to add a further layer of intricacy. Distinctly soft and comforting, Yun’s use of colour is his most time-consuming element. These decisions can often take longer than the actual drawing itself. He works with a limited palette, doing...
Grant Yun proves there is beauty in everything. Taken from life experiences, he immortalises the day-to-day – the drive home from work, looking out the window, going to shops. Each of his works is rooted in reality, and his process is meticulous. Working initially from photographs, he returns to his computer with a clear mental sketch. He then adds a grain texture to add a further layer of intricacy. Distinctly soft and comforting, Yun’s use of colour is his most time-consuming element. These decisions can often take longer than the actual drawing itself. He works with a limited palette, doing “a lot with a little.” This forces the viewer to use their imagination to fill in empty points.
Despite his contemporary and digital medium, Yun’s works often explore the past, “my style comes from a different era.” His works pay homage to 1920s Precisionism – an art movement native to the US, routed in reducing subjects to geometric shapes. He tests the boundaries of negative space and minimalism. Yun has even coined a term for his artist style: ‘Neo-Precisionism’.This style is Yun’s reimagining of 20th century art movements, into minimal, yet powerful imagery.
Grant Yun (he/him) was born in San Jose, California. He is based in Milwaukee where he currently works and studies.
Grant Riven Yun’s first works were created on Microsoft Powerpoint. When first exploring his digital art, Yun used Powerpoint to overlay and stack shapes. This was a rudimentary way of working, but set the foundations of his current practice.
Yun is not only a prolific digital artist – he’s currently studying medicine to become a Physician. He’s also a celebrated breakdancer, going by the name of Bboy Riven.
