Grant Yun Explores Korean-American Identity with Avant Arte in 'Growing Up'

In collaboration with artist Grant Riven Yun and in the exploration of cultural identity, Avant Arte is launching Gowing Up, the artist’s first solo exhibition, set to take place in Seoul, South Korea.

For Gowing Up, Yun, known primarily for his digital works is bringing his creativity into the physical world, marking his third collaboration with Avant Arte and a continuance of his efforts to blend the two realms. The upcoming exhibition follows Yun’s exploration of deeply personal narratives, offering visitors an intimate look into Yun’s exploration of his Korean heritage and American-Korean identity, articulated through nine compelling new artworks. Each piece, accompanied by a unique digital asset, delves into the nuanced experiences of Yun’s daily life, encapsulating moments that define his bicultural existence.

Speaking on the subject with Hypebeast, Yun shared “Artists have the ability to visually share with the world emotions and experiences in ways that are unique from other forms of communication. In Growing Up I wanted to take a more vulnerable approach to my body of work. This series focuses on the multifactorial identity I have as a Korean-American who is proud of both his Korean heritage and American nationality. While the work is partly a reflection of my personal childhood, it is also a way for me to connect with my audience and highlight the commonplace things in our lives that help define and shape who we are.”

While Yun admits that the “immigrant experience” is unique to each person, he highlights that the effects of it can be felt in families cross-generationally, specifically in the form of evolving cultural identity from one generation to the next.

“From the immigrant experience, families grow together, families grow apart.”

“From the immigrant experience, families grow together, families grow apart. There is a give and take, there is sacrifice, there is learning. Through Growing Up I hope to share these themes in a way that is specific enough to relate to, yet ambiguous enough for anyone to apply to their own personal experiences,” expressed Yun.

Inspired by the landscapes and everyday scenes around him, Yun’s work in this exhibition traverses the familiar and the profound. From the lush greens of New England to the simple, yet evocative imagery of kimchi and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Yun captures the essence of his first-generation Korean-American upbringing.

Sharing more on the inspiration behind some of the works in Growing Up, Yun said “Very few things are more important to cultural identity than food,” adding “Food helps shape a person’s life and a family’s relationship. In the case of PB&J and Mom Made Dinner! (Kimchi work) I wanted to have this as an open dialogue between parent and child. In this specific case, a parent’s understanding of comfort food vs. a kid’s is greatly shaped by their surroundings. There is a learning process from parent to child and child to parent; each has to take the time to learn about the other in a way that molds new relationships. As a son of immigrant parents, I have experienced these feelings directly. I teach my parents about the world I grew up in and they do the same making our household a place of vulnerability, learning, and growth.”

Providing additional background on Growing Up, Avant Arte’s Web3 lead Abigail Miller shared that the exhibition has been two years in the making and has been a natural progression for the artist, his career and his collaborative relationship with Avant Arte.

She added “A solo exhibition and a body of work presented together is something Grant has wanted and been searching for, not just a singular work release like the Web3 space predominantly focuses on. The works in this exhibition are all in conversation with each other, which you’d lose if you only presented one at a time. Avant Arte is proud and excited to offer this monumental body of work and a significant step in Grant’s artistic career.”

Miller noted that Growing Up is significant in the fact that it includes not only Yun’s celebrated landscapes but also snippets from everyday life, capturing his experience of growing up as a first-generation Korean-American. She shared that, with this exhibition, Avant Arte hopes to open up Yun’s practice to a wider audience, sharing his American Neo-Precisionism and the importance of his Korean heritage – connecting the two cultures that raised him.

For those interested in visiting the exhibition, it is scheduled to take place at Soft Corner Gallery in the bustling heart of Gangnam-gu, from March 22 to 30.

Soft Corner Gallery
2F, 19 Apgujeong-ro 20-gil,
Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea