Artist Bio

Okja Kwon (b. 1981, Seoul, Korea) is a Korean-born transnational adoptee artist based in Milwaukee, WI. They hold an MS in the Cultural Foundations of Education (2012), and a BFA in Painting & Drawing (2007) and Narrative Print & Forms (2009).

As a creative practitioner, Kwon explores how archived histories create complex negotiations for ideas of nationalism, impacting those deemed “other,” and more importantly, how diasporic (be)longing regenerates through time and space.

Kwon has exhibited artwork in venues such as the Museum of Wisconsin Art, Wisconsin; The Cedarburg Art Museum, Wisconsin; the Center for Visual Arts, Wisconsin; and national and international galleries, universities, and educational settings. They have been awarded scholarships from the Kolaj Institute, Ox-Bow School of Art & Artists’ Residency, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, and the Advanced Opportunity Program Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

Kwon currently teaches Writing and Critical Thinking in the department of Art and Design at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works as a cultural strategist and editor with artists, creatives, and educational institutions.