Abstraction as memory. Portrait as presence.
My work begins with place, faces, and lived experience and how they can exist together on one surface. I am intrigued by how painting holds memory, not as something fixed, but as something that keeps shifting and returning through different experiences and feelings…
Abstraction allows me to get closer to that.
It lets landscapes, people, and our internal world exist at the same time without needing to separate them or explain them. That is what makes it feel special to me.
Alongside abstraction, I create animal portraiture. These works extend my interest in presence and attention. I see them as a form of witnessing, where companion animals are held with care and importance in the same way people are. I’m drawn to portraiture because of its history as a way of honoring and remembering someone over time. In these works, I focus on the eyes because that is where their soulfulness comes through.
Across both bodies of work, I paint as a way of holding moʻolelo (stories). Place, memory, and relationship all collapse into the same surface. What remains is not explanation, but a feeling.
Photo by Nagisa Mizushima
CV:
EDUCATION
2019 - 2020 Otis College of Art & Design, Los Angeles, CA. MFA
2013 - 2017 Chapman University, Orange, CA. BFA
2015 - 2016 Studio Art Centers International (SACI), Florence, Italy
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2021 Boundless, Solo Exhibition, Helen & Abraham Bolsky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2017 Your Body is Bound in Secret Knots, Solo Exhibition, Guggenheim Gallery. Orange, CA SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2021 Morpheus, Exhibit A Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2020 The Evidence Of Things, Sidebar Gallery, Culver City, CA
2019 Naked Truth, Sidebar Gallery, Culver City , CA
2019 Life Blood, Sidebar Gallery, Culver City, CA
2019 Telegenic, Sidebar Gallery, Culver City, CA
2019 Sentient, Sidebar Gallery, Culver City, CA
2019 Bondage And Freedom, Sidebar Gallery, Culver City, CA
2017 Did You Listen, Did You See, Guggenheim Gallery, Orange, CA 2017 Push/Pull, Anaheim Garden Walk, Anaheim, CA.
2016 I See Myself But I Can’t See You, Guggenheim Gallery, Orange, CA 2014 VIPER!!!, Guggenheim Gallery, Orange, CA
CURATION
2022 Formless Form, Mash Gallery, West Hollywood, CA
2022 A GO GO II, W Hotel Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA
2021 Sacred Waters, Mash Gallery, Downtown Los Angeles, CA
2021 VISUAL - O, Mash Gallery, Downtown Los Angeles, CA
2021 Morpheus, Exhibit A Gallery, Fairfax Los Angeles, CA
2020 The Evidence of Things, Sidebar Gallery, Culver City, CA
2019 Naked Truth, Sidebar Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2017 Did You Listen, Did You See, Guggenheim Gallery, Orange, CA 2017 Push/Pull, Anaheim Garden Walk, Anaheim, CA.
2016 I See Myself But I Can’t See You, Guggenheim Gallery, Orange, CA
PRODUCTION DESIGN
2021 Bel-Air Bay Club, Pacific Palisades, CA
Created commissioned artwork and wedding installation for entrance using 200+ roses, plants, and candles.
2021 Aston at the Waikiki Banyan, Honolulu, HI
Custom headboard for Airbnb using resin, paint, and ceiling mount.
2020 Mikey Ferrari Recording Artist, Los Angeles CA
Custom commission painting for music studio and single cover.
2020 Fairmont Kea Lani Hotel, Wailea, HI
Handmade knotted “Kukui Nut” screens using 5000+ kukui nuts for hotel dining space.
2019 The Bell Hotel And Resort, Palm Springs, CA
Built an awning for the Taco Bell hotel entrance made out of 1000+ hand cut and painted vinyl strips.
2019 Summer Fridays Event, Los Angeles CA
Installed three booth build outs for Summer Fridays event at Westfield Century City mall.
2018 Embassy Suite Hotel, Walnut Creek CA
Created and Installed 4000 hand torn paper flowers to create an ombré statement behind the reception desk.
2018 Renaissance Fort Lauderdale-Plantation Hotel, Plantation, FL.
Built two custom book sculptures installed with acrylic casing for the hotel lobby.
2018 Renaissance Nashville Hotel, Nashville, TN.
Created a 33’W x 14’ H concierge backdrop made out of 4500 pieces of raw denim.
2018 The W Hotel - Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Created a wall drop/mural made out of 4000+ beer cans for the hotel restaurant.
TEACHING
2020 Teaching Assistant, Visual Landscape, Otis College of Art & Design, Los Angeles CA
2021 Teaching Assistant, Social Practice, Otis College of Art & Design, Los Angeles, CA
2023 Visual Arts Teacher, Kamehameha Schools Kāpalama, Honolulu, HI
PUBLICATION
2020 Interview “Check out Johee Kwak’s Story” Voyage LA Magazine, Los Angeles, CA
2023 Interview “Meet Johee Young | Artist & Visual Art Teacher” Shoutout LA Magazine, Los Angeles, CA.