Jean Chung was born in San Francisco, CA and raised in Seoul, Korea. Chung paints around narratives of misplaced guilt, shame, and vulnerability through illustrating experiences of discomfort (sometimes comfort) within marginalized communities. Kitsch and humor invites the viewer, while an air of exhaustion and anxiety creates discomfort. Awkward treatment in composition and color creates moments where sadness meets absurdity. The figures want to distance themselves from the given moment even though nothing serious is occurring, but are literally stuck and caught in frame. Kitschy objects and statements evoke nostalgia, and a recurring smile motif reside in the same space as discomfort and anxiety almost mockingly. Time is present only through the static smoke of a cigarette.
They are a BFA candidate at the School of Museum of Fine Arts @ Tufts University.
jchung9812@gmail.com
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