korean american artists at sōhn
Jenice Kim is a Korean-Canadian illustrator and designer based in Brooklyn, NY. She grew up in Seoul and Vancouver, and has planted herself in New York for 8 years now. Her works balance between the abstract and literal, and often play with bold shapes and bright colors, taking various forms as drawings, collages, postcards, blankets, stickers, etc. She loves making pieces that inspire others to discover the beauty in the mundane and to understand different perspectives of the world around them. She currently works as a book designer full-time, but continues to seek creative collaborations and multidisciplinary projects on the side.
Steph Rue is an artist and educator working primarily with handmade paper and books as her medium. She is a 2015-2016 recipient of a Fulbright Research Grant to South Korea, where she studied traditional Korean bookbinding, papermaking, and printing. Her artist books and paper works are held in a number of public and private collections, including Yale University, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Library, and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. Steph is a co-founder of the Korean American Artist Collective and a member of the Book/Print Artist/Scholar of Color Collective. She is also a co-founder of Hanji Edition, a publisher of fine art and print works with/on hanji. Steph is currently based in Sacramento, CA, and will be relocating to Iowa City, IA in 2026.
Yerrie Choo creates visual and written work that confront existential yet comforting themes, unseen energies in a room, navigating grief while functioning after loss, and the complications of simply being human. Drawing is a way for her to slow down, become deeply invested in what’s going on internally, and feel grounded by paying attention to the small details in the surrounding environment. Choo mines from personal experiences to translate complex emotions into something digestible and hopefully be more comfortable with the difficult areas of existence.
Kaela Han (b. 1996) is a self-taught, Korean American artist based in San Francisco, California. Using oil paints and graphite, she takes inspiration from the natural world to create images that evoke feelings of nostalgia and quietude. Her practice is a way for her to find stillness within the world around her; a way for her to reflect and process.
Joey Choi (he/him) is a queer Korean American fiber artist who specializes in crochet, quilting, and handmade wares. Sangsang, which means imagination in Korean, is an ongoing creative project Joey started in 2025 that shares his story through bold colors, playful patterns, and Korean-inspired motifs. He is a San Jose native and currently lives in San Francisco with his partner, Stephen and pug, Bernie.
Suzie Shin is a Korean-American designer, educator, and artist based in Chicago. Her practice is based in an analog-to-digital process, where handmade sketches become the foundation for larger-scale projects. The heart of her work is a love for color, play, and rhythm – explored through parameters that allow for intuitive flow. Currently, you can find her teaching typography at DePaul University, leading all things design at Haan Coffee, and learning how to quilt.
KK Kim is a San Francisco-based Minhwa artist who explores traditional Korean art with a modern approach. Through her work, she practices mindfulness and seeks comfort in imperfection. In 2024, KK showcased her art in a group exhibition in Jeju, South Korea, and participated in several local art fairs, including the Filoli Art Walk, Maum Market, and Art Walk SF. She also teaches occasional Minhwa workshops for beginners. By sharing this traditional art form, she hopes to help others find their own creative voice while connecting them to Korea's rich artistic traditions.
Rochelle Youk works across media to craft objects informed by her heritage as the California daughter of immigrants from Japan and Korea. Labor intensive paintings, drawings, and sculptures examine histories between Asia and the United States through the lens of cultural traditions, especially folk crafts, and examine how they are shared, exchanged, and used to form identity. Youk received her MFA from SFAI in 2010 and is currently an MA candidate at SFSU in the Asian American Studies department. She is also a member of the Korean American Artist Collective, and the book arts themed collaborative project, The Boogers.
Seohui Chi is a New York-based Korean illustrator specializing in live-event, fashion, and food illustration, and is proficient in traditional and digital media. Chi is a Fashion Design and Technical Design graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC.
Sora Lee is a painter and illustrator from South Korea who graduated with a BFA in Illustration from the California College of the Arts in 2024. She loves working with traditional painting, translating her emotions and life experiences into visual stories. Her art is a window into her inner world, with narrative illustration being her true passion. Through her storytelling, Sora brings together imagination and reality, inviting viewers into whimsical worlds full of possibility. Each brushstroke aims to capture the essence of a moment and a feeling. Ultimately, she wants her art to resonate with others, speaking to our shared human experiences in all their complexity and wonder. With her illustrations, she hopes to spark conversations, ignite imaginations, and inspire others to explore their own creative paths.
Yejin Shin is a Los Angeles–based textile artist whose practice reinterprets jogakbo (Korean patchwork) and vessel-inspired objects through traditional Korean fabrics. Drawing on her own emotional experiences, Shin creates works that allow space to breathe, inviting moments of reflection and quiet presence. Through hand-stitched layers that respond to light, wind, and motion, her work bridges Korea’s textile heritage with a contemporary sensibility.\
Originally from Seoul, South Korea, YouBeen Kim immigrated to the United States at the age of sixteen in pursuit of a better education, leaving her single mother behind. Navigating cultural and linguistic challenges in Utah and Illinois, she found solace in painting as a means of expression and connection. Her early landscapes and portraits became a bridge between her inner world and her new surroundings. After settling in California, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the Academy of Art University in 2015. Her work continues to evolve through explorations of identity, heritage, and belonging that blending Korean aesthetics with American influences in a vibrant, expressive style.
Youngmin Lee is a textile artist specializing in the traditional Korean art of bojagi. Youngmin has been dedicated to preserving and innovating within the bojagi tradition, which emphasizes recycling and upcycling by using fabric remnants. Through her work, she continues to inspire and educate, ensuring the bojagi tradition thrives. The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and Mingei International Museum in San Diego have her works in the museum’s permanent collection.