Julia Kwon sews interpretative bojagi—Korean object-wrapping cloths historically created since the early Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910)—and wraps hollow human-scale figures with them to comment on the objectification of Asiatic female bodies. She also embeds patterns from contemporary sociopolitical events to challenge the notion of authenticity and examine the complexities of constructing identities within the context of globalization, cultural hybridity, intersectionality, and the collective struggle for social justice. Her work argues for more capacious possibilities for identity and sense of community. She explores community, solidarity, and personal relationship building through various collaborative projects that advocate for a more equitable society for all. Julia Kwon has exhibited at venues including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery (Washington, DC), Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, MA), Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (New York, NY), Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (Virginia Beach, VA), Museum of International Folk Art (Santa Fe, NM), Museum of Contemporary Art (Arlington, VA), Peale Center at Carroll Museums (Baltimore, MD), Hartnett Gallery at the University of Rochester (Rochester, NY), Taubman Center at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI), Biggin Gallery at Auburn University (Auburn, AL), and Torpedo Factory Art Center (Alexandria, VA), among others. Her work is in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery (Washington, DC), Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, MA), Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (New York, NY), Museum of International Folk Art (Santa Fe, NM), The New York Public Library (New York, NY), Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Thomas J. Watson Library (New York, NY), and Yale University’s Haas Arts Library Special Collections (New Haven, CT), among others. She has presented artist lectures and workshops at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (Washington, DC), The Phillips Collection (Washington, DC), Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (Virginia Beach, VA), Museum of Contemporary Art (Arlington, VA), Parsons School of Design (New York, NY), Georgetown University (Washington, DC), Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA), Oberlin College (Oberlin, OH), American University (Washington, DC), Emerson College (Boston, MA), and University of Rochester (Rochester, NY), among others. Her work has been highlighted in the Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Korea.net, Hyperallergic, BmoreArt, PBS’s WETA Arts, Arirang News, SBS News, and director Andrew Ahn's newest film The Wedding Banquet, starring Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-Chan, Joan Chen, and Youn Yuh-Jung. She was awarded artist residencies at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Chautauqua School of Art, Headlands Center for the Arts, Santa Fe Art Institute, Textile Arts Center, Vermont Studio Center, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, among others. Julia Kwon holds a BA in Studio Art from Georgetown University and an MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University. |
