The Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (KCCDC) was thrilled to welcome beloved mural artist Julia Sunah Chon, better known as Kimchi Juice, for a special Artist Talk about her new KCCDC site-specific mural celebrating Korean culture, identity, and the Lunar New Year! Visitors were able to stop by and witness Chon’s creativity in action through February 28, and then joined Chon to celebrate and discuss the work’s completion on Friday, February 28 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the KCCDC.

Chon’s new outdoor mural incorporated natural elements reflecting the KCCDC bamboo garden, traditional Korean games, and a sense of community, all in a fun and engaging visual. The gate leading to the KCCDC’s iconic bamboo stand also transformed into an entryway guarded by a Korean folk art-style tiger. As Chon transitioned her art from paper to large-scale murals, these intimate portraits took center stage in a dynamic urban environment. In her public works and individual art pieces, Chon often explored the relationship between cultural tradition and its effects on generational identity, informing the decisions Asian Americans made to form their identities. Through artwork that prominently conveyed Korean aesthetics, Chon merged her ancestry and traditions with the contemporary to narrate the nuances of the Korean diaspora.

The Artist Talk on February 28 at the KCCDC navigated the story behind Chon’s design and her intentions in combining various Korean icons into a single mural composition. An RSVP was recommended to attend. Visitors also had the chance to observe the live mural creation in advance through February 28 during regular visitor hours.

Julia Chon is a Korean-American artist and muralist who has been primarily active in Washington, D.C. and Denver, CO. She participated in DC Walls, the Washington extension of World Wide Walls, the largest outdoor mural festival in the United States. Her murals can be found internationally, and her work has been exhibited in solo and group shows in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and New York City. Chon’s past clients and collaborative partners included NASA, Apple, the Phillips Collection, and the Smithsonian Institution, which acquired one of her works into its permanent art collection in 2022. She also completed a 2024 artist residency with the Nicholson Project.

Learn more about Julia’s work at www.juliachon.com or @kimchi.juice on Instagram.