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I am interested in moments when opposing forces occupy the same space: beauty and fear, attraction and repulsion, faith and doubt, and good and evil. Rather than treating contradiction as something that must be resolved, I approach it as a fundamental condition of human experience.
Much of this interest comes from my own experience navigating seemingly contradictory identities, beliefs, and emotional states. These experiences led me to become fascinated by ambiguity, hidden meanings, layered interpretations, and the possibility that a single object can contain multiple realities simultaneously.
This investigation forms the foundation of my ongoing Angel Series, Beings of Light and Fire. Inspired by biblical descriptions of angels, the series challenges contemporary visual culture’s tendency to portray angels as harmless and comforting while depicting evil as seductive and desirable. By returning to scriptural descriptions of angels as overwhelming, fear-inducing, and difficult-to-comprehend beings, I examine how cultural narratives shape our perception of morality, beauty, and power.
KAY MOON
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Working primarily through sculpture, installation, and scent, I create environments that encourage viewers to move beyond immediate judgment and remain within uncertainty. Familiar materials, symbols, and images are often reconfigured to reveal alternative meanings beneath their surface.
Scent plays an important role in my practice. Unlike physical objects, scent occupies space invisibly and cannot be fully controlled by the viewer. By incorporating fragrance into sculptural installations, I use scent as a medium capable of activating memory, emotion, and subconscious associations.
Ultimately, I am interested in creating works that resist singular interpretations. Rather than offering clear conclusions, I invite viewers to confront complexity, contradiction, and the unstable boundaries between opposing ideas.
: PARADOX
BIOGRAPHY
Kay Moon is a Korean sculptor and installation artist based in New York whose work explores duality through sculpture, installation, and olfactory media.
His practice investigates opposing forces that coexist within a single form, including beauty and fear, desire and discomfort, attraction and repulsion, and good and evil. Drawing from personal experience, religious imagery, and contemporary visual culture, he examines the tensions that emerge when seemingly contradictory forces exist simultaneously.
He received a BFA in Sculpture and Integrated Practices with Honors from Pratt Institute in 2025. Following his graduation, he became the inaugural recipient of the Sculptors Guild Eleanor Roosevelt Scholarship and was subsequently selected for the Chicago Sculpture International Biennial. His work has been exhibited in New York and New Jersey at venues including The Metropolitan Building, MORA Museum, Firmament Gallery + Boutique, and The Blanc. In 2026, he served as a Fine Arts panelist for the Pratt Institute Alumni Event.