Artist Statement

"What would have happened had Shakespeare had a wonderfully gifted sister called Judith, let us say.”

Virginia Woolf, one of the most important authors in the history of English literature, invites readers to imagine this hypothetical woman in her work "A Room of One's Own." She said, "It is unthinkable that any woman in Shakespeare's day should have had Shakespeare's genius. For genius like Shakespeare's is not born among labouring, uneducated, servile people." And women have long been uneducated, labourers, and servants. They are the "nobodies" who existed but couldn’t leave behind a legacy under their own name.

Nara Yoon (artist name; NOBODYSNARA) presents this exhibition, "Ms NOBODY," in honour of all the women who had talents as Shakespeare's but were overlooked solely because of their gender. This exhibition is the first introduction of the character Ms NOBODY to American audiences.

Currently, in South Korea, the anti-feminist movement is rapidly spreading among young men online who have started to identify themselves as a social minority or “victims” of female power. It caused a conflict between men and women over gender issues and evolved into a “Gender War.”

The artist believes that art is a mirror of the times and that she should actively intervene and reflect social issues in her creative works beyond "pretty" paintings. With this purpose in mind, she aims to create reverberations and questions in society as a catalyst for change.

'Ms.' is a term intended to address women regardless of marital status, replacing 'Miss' and 'Mrs.' It was suggested by feminist Sheila Michaels as "a title for a woman who did not 'belong' to a man" and was later used by Gloria Steinem when she named the first national American feminist magazine "Ms.". In patriarchy, women are expected to obey their fathers when they are young, their husbands when they marry, and their sons after their husband’s death. Women did not exist as independent human beings but lived a life of subordination to men, a life of "non-human" human beings who lacked agency. Therefore, 'Ms.' is more than a title, it is a title that defines women as 'human beings', not as the 'property' of men.

The women who were “nobodies” are now referred to by this title and become "Ms NOBODY," "belonging to nobody." This character, embodying the artist's persona, is a tribute to all the women who were never able to be credited under their own names. The artist hopes this character can represent women's pains, and desires beyond her own persona. In addition, the artist's name, "Nobody's Nara," with her slogan "I belong to no one, but myself," will now also mean "Nobody's Nara," Nara of “the nobodies," and the will to be a spokesperson for women.

NOBODYSNARA hopes that every woman can exist with her own name so that she can be remembered and celebrated for her individual greatness, not as a “second” Shakespeare.