Korean Lunar New Year Mural Creation & Artist Talk with Julia Chon

The Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (KCCDC) is thrilled to welcome beloved mural artist Julia Sunah Chon, better known as Kimchi Juice, back for a special Artist Talk about her new KCCDC site-specific mural celebrating Korean culture, identity, and the Lunar New Year!

Visitors are welcome to stop by to witness Chon’s creativity in action through February 14, and then join Chon to celebrate and discuss the work’s completion on Thursday, February 20 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the KCCDC.

Chon’s new outdoor mural incorporates 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 will also transform into an entryway guarded by a Korean folk art-style tiger. As Chon transitions her art from paper to large-scale murals, these intimate portraits take center stage in a dynamic urban environment.

In her public works and individual art pieces, Chon often explores the relationship between cultural tradition and its effects on generational identity, informing the decisions Asian Americans make to form their identities. Through artwork that prominently conveys Korean aesthetics, Chon merges her ancestry and traditions with the contemporary to narrate the nuances of the Korean diaspora.

The Artist Talk on February 20 at the KCCDC will navigate the story behind Chon’s design and her intentions in combining various Korean icons into a single mural composition. RSVP here to attend. Visitors can also come in advance to observe the live mural creation through February 14 without an RSVP during regular KCCDC visitor hours (Monday – Friday, 10 AM – noon and 1 – 5 PM). For details, .

Julia Sunah Chon, also known as Kimchi Juice, is a Korean-American artist and muralist primarily active in Washington, D.C. and Denver, Co. who has 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 include NASA, Apple, the Phillips Collection, and the Smithsonian Institution, which acquired one of her works into its permanent art collection in 2022. She recently completed a 2024 artist residency with the Nicholson Project.

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

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Korean Cultural Center, Washington D.C., 2370 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, Washington, United States