Artists Julia Kwon
SUMMER 2021 RESIDENT · JUL – SEP
Julia Kwon
Bojagi (fabric) · South Korea
Julia Kwon is a Korean-American interdisciplinary artist best known for large textile works inspired by bojagi, the traditional Korean object-wrapping cloth. Born in 1987 in Arlington, Virginia, she holds a BA in Studio Art from Georgetown University and an MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University. She joined Manchester AIR at The Factory on Willow in Manchester, New Hampshire, for the Summer 2021 session.
About the work
Bojagi is a form of patchwork pieced from small fabric scraps, a practice dating to the early Joseon Dynasty and historically made by women with limited contact with the outside world. Kwon uses it to consider tradition, craft and feminized labor. By sewing patterns drawn from contemporary social and political events into her bojagi, she questions ideas of cultural purity and authenticity, and comments on the objectification of Asian women. Her work also builds community through collaborative quilting, portrait drawing and local artist talks.
During the pandemic, Kwon created vibrant patchwork face masks to celebrate her identity in response to rising anti-Asian racism. One of these masks, Unapologetically Asian, was acquired by the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Selected highlights
Work in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery, and Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Piece Together, solo exhibition at Auburn University (2024–2025)
Residencies at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Chautauqua School of Art, NARS Foundation, Textile Arts Center and Vermont Studio Center
Featured in Smithsonian Magazine (2021)
