Jaena Kwon

Tropical Dream

2020

Drawing on her background in origami and the production of pop-up books, painter and sculptor Jaena Kwon works in abstract mode, and prioritizes structure and texture in her work. In exploring how space is depicted in paintings, she creates compelling monochrome layered objects that are folded, sanded and painted.

Kwon was born and raised in Seoul and holds two MFA degrees. She completed one in 2014 at Yale University, where she majored in painting and printmaking, and the other in 2012 at Seoul National University, where she also earned her bachelor’s degree.

Central to Kwon’s art, regardless of whether she is working with fiberboard, wood, gesso or acrylics, is a careful, deliberate focus on the tactile qualities of the work. In doing so, she adds another dimension, adding a layer of experience and meaning.

Of Kwon’s many exhibitions, most include group and solo shows held in New York City or Seoul. A 2017 residency at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts, as well as 2012 shows at Amy Simon Fine Art in Connecticut and New Caledonia Hotel Art Fair in Noumea are among some exceptions. The Woosuk Exhibition Hall at Seoul National University has featured Kwon twice in back-to-back group shows in 2010 and 2011, and she was also a participant in 2017’s “Passion. Connected. 100 x 100” at the Korean Cultural Center of New York.

Kwon has won numerous awards including a Teaching Assistant Fellowship in 2011 from Seoul National University. She also won the Carol Schlosberg Memorial Prize from Yale University and the Boston Young Contemporaries RGH Prize, both in 2014.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of Jaena Kwon paintings and sculptures.