Bio
Su Kwak is a Korean-American artist who is esteemed for her atmospheric abstract landscapes. Kwak’s work is included in the permanent collections of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Korea and other noted museums. Kwak is represented by June Kelly Gallery in Soho, New York City.
Born in Busan, Korea, Kwak moved to the United States where she attended college at the University of St. Thomas in Houston and later completed her MFA with honors at the University of Chicago. Kwak has had numerous solo and group exhibitions including a traveling retrospective at the Brauer Museum of Art and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.
Public Collections
National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC
National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea
Brauer Museum of Art, Valparaiso University, Indiana
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, University of Oregon, Eugene
Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea
Busan Museum of Art, Busan, Korea
Dae Lim Contemporary Art Museum, Seoul, Korea
Gwangju Museum of Art, Gwangju, Korea
Total Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea
Youngeun Museum of Contemporary Art, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
Jeollabuk-do Cultural Department, Jeonju, Korea
Sun Art Center, Seoul, Korea
Jean Art Center, Seoul, Korea
Doosan Dong-A Co., Ltd, Seoul, Korea
Embassy of the Republic of Korea to the United States, Washington, DC
Marriott Marquis Hotel DC. Art Collection, Washington, DC
Asian American Arts Centre, New York City
Arthur Anderson, Chicago
Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather & Geraldson, San Francisco
Thrall, Inc., Chicago
WilmerHale, New York City
Hyatt Hotels, Oakbrook, Illinois
PNC Bank, Washington, DC
National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea
Brauer Museum of Art, Valparaiso University, Indiana
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, University of Oregon, Eugene
Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea
Busan Museum of Art, Busan, Korea
Dae Lim Contemporary Art Museum, Seoul, Korea
Gwangju Museum of Art, Gwangju, Korea
Total Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea
Youngeun Museum of Contemporary Art, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
Jeollabuk-do Cultural Department, Jeonju, Korea
Sun Art Center, Seoul, Korea
Jean Art Center, Seoul, Korea
Doosan Dong-A Co., Ltd, Seoul, Korea
Embassy of the Republic of Korea to the United States, Washington, DC
Marriott Marquis Hotel DC. Art Collection, Washington, DC
Asian American Arts Centre, New York City
Arthur Anderson, Chicago
Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather & Geraldson, San Francisco
Thrall, Inc., Chicago
WilmerHale, New York City
Hyatt Hotels, Oakbrook, Illinois
PNC Bank, Washington, DC
Artist Talk at Brauer Museum of Art, 2019

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Artist Talk at Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, 2013

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Solo Exhibitions
2023 | Su Kwak: Crossing Boundaries, June Kelly Gallery, New York City |
2019 | Su Kwak: Cosmic Light Series, Brauer Museum of Art, Valparaiso University, Indiana
Su Kwak: Light Cycles, June Kelly Gallery, New York City
Circles of Light, HK Art and Antiques Gallery, New York City |
2016 | Cosmic Light, June Kelly Gallery, New York City |
2012 | Su Kwak: Light Journey: An Odyssey in Paint, |
2013 | Brauer Museum of Art, Valparaiso University, Indiana;
traveled to the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon, Eugene, catalogue |
2009 | Light and Time: New Paintings, Sun Art Center, Sun Gallery, Seoul, Korea; catalogue
Light and Time: New Paintings, June Kelly Gallery, New York City; catalogue |
2006 | Healing Light, Sun Art Center, Sun Gallery, Seoul, Korea; catalogue |
2004 | Healing Light, June Kelly Gallery, New York City; catalogue |
2002 | Light Series, Jean Art Gallery, Seoul, Korea; catalogue |
2001 | Beyond Light Series, Ellen Kim Murphy Gallery, Seoul, Korea; catalogue |
2000 | Recent Paintings, Korean Cultural Center, Washington, DC
Recent Paintings, University of Maryland Gallery, College Park, Maryland |
1997 | Double Vision,Gallery Korea, Korean Cultural Center, New York City |
1996 | Divided Light Series, Sun Gallery, Seoul, Korea; catalogue |
1993 | Recent Paintings, Humphrey Gallery, New York City
Visions of East and West, University of Maryland Gallery, College Park, Maryland |
1992 | Light Passages, Gallery Korea, Korean Cultural Center, New York City
Inner Light Series, New York Academy of Sciences; traveled to: University of Chicago, Midway Gallery, ChicagoInternational House Club, World Trade Center, New OrleansAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC |
1986 | Recent Paintings, Jan Cicero Gallery, Chicago |
1983 | The Burning Bush Series, Ward-Nasse Gallery, New York City |
1982 | The Burning Bush Series, Elmhurst College Gallery, Elmhurst, Illinois |
1979 | MFA Exhibitions, Midwest Studio Gallery, Universe of Chicago |
Group Exhibitions
2025 | Ecriture with the Body: Contemporary Korean Women's Art, co-curated by Jung-Sil Lee & Koh Dong-Yeon,Corcoran School of the Arts and Design |
2024 | Autumn Group Exhibition, HK Art Antiques Galler, New York City
The Women of the June Kelly Gallery, June Kelly Gallery, New York City |
2023 | Figures and Flowers HK Art and Antiques Gallery, New York City (March 16 - 24) |
2020 | Time of Peace: Works by Women Artists, HK Art and Antiques Gallery, New York City |
2019 | HK May Group Exhibition, HK Art and Antiques Gallery, New York City |
2018 | Life of Women, HK Art and Antiques Gallery, New York City |
2017 | Celebrating 30 Years, Gallery Artists: Drawings and Photographs at June Kelly Gallery
East Meets West in New York, HK Art and Antiques Gallery, New York City
Life Movement, HK Art and Antiques Gallery, New York City |
2016 | Collateral Damage, The Anya and Andrew Shiva Gallery, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York |
2015 | The Sun Shines for Us All, Brauer Museum of Art, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN Chosen Homeland: Searching for Women’s Identity & Unity, the Korean Cultural Center, Washington, DC Love & Healing, MK Gallery, Vienna, Virginia |
2014 | New Art Collection, curated by Marsha Ralls, Marriott Marquis Hotel, Washington, DC |
2012 | Celebrating 25 Years, June Kelly Gallery, New York City |
2011 | 20 Years, 20 Artists, The Ralls Collection, Washington, DC Spread Your Vision Invitational, Ewha Art Gallery, Seoul, Korea |
2010 | Featured Artists, Andrews Art Museum, Andrews, North Carolina First International Flag Festival, Jeolla Province, Korea 33rd Anniversary 330 Artists, Sun Art Center, Sun Gallery, Seoul, Korea |
2009 | Gallery Artists, Sun Art Center-Sun Gallery, Seoul, Korea |
2007 | Pure and High: Lee Gyuill Collection, Lee’s Gallery, Seoul, Korea New Acquisitions 2006, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea Art DC International Art Fair, Gallery Athena-Paris, Washington, DC |
2006 | The 1st Art & Welfare International Design Invitation, Gongju National Museum, Gongju, Korea |
2005 | Festival of World Written Languages: 5th World Calligraphy Biennale, Jeollabuk-do, Korea |
2004 | A Universe of Art, organized by Corporate Art Directions, Credit Suisse First Boston, New York City |
2003 | Art for Art‘s Sake, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC New Acquisitions, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea 4th World Calligraphy Biennale of Jeollabuk-do, Korea 100 Year Anniversary of Korean Immigration to America, L.A. Hyun Gallery, Los Angeles Contemporary Korean and Japanese Paintings, Jean Art Gallery, Seoul, Korea Meditation, Gallery Light, Seoul, Korea |
2002 | 100 Artists’ Show, Gallery Light, Seoul, Korea
An Exhibition of Contemporary American Art in the Residence of Ambassador and Mrs. Thomas C. Hubbard, Art in Embassies Program, Seoul, Korea |
2001 | 24th Anniversary Show, Sun Gallery, Seoul, South Korea |
2000 | Seoul Art Fair, Seoul Arts Center, represented by Sun Gallery, Seoul, South Korea |
1999 | Contemporary American Women Artists, Art in Embassies Program, US Department of State, Embassy to the Conference on Disarmament, Geneva, Switzerland Eat Art, Steinbaum Krauss Gallery, New York City New Wind: Korean American Artists Rockville Art Place, Maryland,traveled to the Maryland Art Place, Baltimore, Maryland, curated by Jack Rasmussen |
1998 | Six Artists, Myung Sook Lee Gallery, New York City Contemporary American Art, Art in Embassies Program, Seoul, Korea Asian American Women Artists, New World Art Center, New York City, curated By Norma Cohen Korean American Artists, University College Arts Gallery, University of Maryland College Park, curated by Deena Crosso |
1997 | 20th Year Anniversary Show, Sun Gallery, Seoul, Korea Summer Group Show, Marisa del Re Gallery, New York City |
1996 | Seoul International Art Fair '96, Seoul, Korea Visions of the Next Generation, Seoul Arts Center Museum, Korea Summer Group Show, Marisa del Re Gallery, New York City |
1995 | A Celebration of Ten Years of the Art of Science and Technology, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC, curated by Jeannette Murray, Introductions, Kouros Gallery, New York City Inaugural Exhibition, The American Center for Physics, College Park, Maryland |
1994 | Holiday Group Show, Kouros Gallery, New York City Gallery Artists, Sylvia Schmidt Gallery, New Orleans Art from America, Artempo Gallery, Buenos Aires, Argentina Members' Gallery Show, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York |
1993 | Summer Group Show, Marisa del Re Gallery, New York City
111 International Artists for Peace, Gallery Bhak, Seoul, Korea Building Bridges, International Monetary Fund Art Gallery, Washington, DC |
1992 | The Landscape: Subject of Renewed Scrutiny, Foster Gallery, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Journeys, Martin Luther King Library, Washington, DC |
1991 | Tenth Annual Juried Exhibition, of The Fine Arts Museum of Long Island, Hempstead, New York, juried by Caroline-Adler, Grace Borgenicht Gallery, New York City Global Color, Women's Caucus for the Arts, Washington, DC International Exhibition, George Mason University Gallery, Arlington, Virginia |
1990 | International Artists Show, Martin Luther King Library, Washington, DC |
1989 | Gallery Artists and Invitational, Katharina Rich Perlow Gallery, New York City China-June 4, 1989, Blum-Helman Gallery, New York City |
1988 | Three Rivers Arts Festival, Pittsburgh, juried by Marge Goldwater of the Walker Art Center 5th Annual Open Studio: Ten Chinatown Art Exhibition, Asian-American Arts Centre, New York City |
1987 | Gallery Group Show, B.R. Kornblatt Gallery, Washington, DC |
1986 | Exuberant Abstraction, Jan Cicero Gallery, Chicago |
1985 | Chicago Artists Show, Xerox Center, Chicago |
1984 | Inaugural Show of Gallery Artists, Jan Cicero Gallery, Chicago A Pebble for Peace, North Park Gallery, Chicago |
1983 | Art from Henry Street, City Gallery, New York Cultural Center, New York City |
1982 | Annual Juried Exhibition '82, of The Queens Museum, New York City, juried by April Kingsley of the Sculpture Center, Fifty Views of Art, Cork Gallery, Lincoln Center, New York City The Visual Arts at Henry Street, Henry Street Settlement Arts for Living Center, New York City Christmas Show, Ward-Nasse Gallery, New York City Art from Henry Street, Kingsborough Community College Art Gallery, Brooklyn, New York City |
1981 | Annual Juried Exhibition, St. John's University Art Gallery, Jamaica, NY |
Awards
2000 | Award from the Republic of Korea for contributions to the advancement of Korean culture overseas |
1998 | Individual Artist Award, Maryland State Arts Council |
1982 | Artist-in-Residence, Henry Street Settlement Arts for Living Center, New York City |
1980 | Fairweather-Hardin Gallery Prize for “excellence in the fine arts” from The University of Chicago |