Ye Ni Jeong

‘I am a Perilla’ is an autobiographical sculptural assemblage combining the perilla plant with Hungarian Herend porcelain accompanied by a video work. The work traces the journey of the sourcing of the Herend porcelain vase in the Netherlands, the cultivation of perilla from seed to maturity within a domestic setting, and interviews with three South Korean migrants. 

When perilla seeds travel far from their native soil, the plant often becomes precious and deeply desired among South Koreans abroad. Reflecting on her experience of being raised in a South Korean household while growing up in Hungary, the perilla planted in the Herend porcelain becomes a self portrait that questions the relationship between rootedness and identity beyond culture, borders, and social stratification.