Course: BA (Hons) Make-up for Media and Performance (now BA (Hons) Makeup, Hair and Prosthetics)
Graduated: 2022
Yesun Jo is a Korea-based Makeup and Special Effects Artist working across live performance, film, and visual art projects. She graduated from Arts University Bournemouth (AUB)’s BA (Hons) Make-up for Media and Performance course (now known as BA (Hons) Makeup, Hair and Prosthetics), where she developed a practice grounded in visual storytelling, performance context, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
A key recent project was Travel of the Soul: Echoes after Time (Pajiok), Korea Chapter, a contemporary dance performance inspired by traditional ritual practices. Following its initial presentation in Hong Kong, the production had its Korean premiere in Seoul. Yesun worked as Hair and Makeup Team Lead, overseeing and co-ordinating the on-stage execution of hair and makeup under the direction of the production’s makeup director. The role involved close collaboration with choreographers and the directing team, as well as an understanding of how makeup functions under theatrical lighting and continuous movement. The Seoul run played three consecutive sold-out performances.
Alongside live performance, Yesun has expanded her practice across independent films, short-form web dramas, music videos, and commercial projects, combining special effects techniques such as ageing makeup, injury simulation, and prosthetic application with camera-ready beauty work. She's also supported large-scale installation-based visual projects, including assisting with the production of a three-metre sculptural hair piece for ADER ERROR’s Japan flagship store, contributing as part of a professional special effects team during the final stages of the installation process.
In 2025, Yesun was selected to participate in an international graduate exhibition organised by AUB in Tokyo, where she presented makeup and special effects-based visual work to an overseas audience.
Yesun says, "My time at AUB was central to shaping my professional approach, particularly through its emphasis on collaboration, conceptual thinking, and working across media. I continue to develop work at the intersection of performance, film, and visual art, with a growing focus on cross-disciplinary and international projects."
