BIO

HaeAhn Woo Kwon is an installation artist whose practice combines heterogeneous materials and modes of production, influenced by vernacular architecture and interventions found in the urban and rural context of South Korea. They collaborate with interdisciplinary artist Paul Kajander as HaeAhn Paul Kwon Kajander, working primarily in site-responsive sculptural installation. HaeAhn Paul Kwon Kajander’s methodology is rooted in the frugal inventiveness of the makeshift, necessarily called upon in times of crisis and excess. Through the threading of given and family names, their practice complicates the notion of individual authorship and addresses the construction of identity. Current research interests include material exploration with natural lacquer (Ottchil in Korean, Urushi in Japanese), the modernization via urban sewerage/waste-management infrastructure, and the interrelations between imperialism, nationalism, colonialism, and private property. Their work has been exhibited in various contexts, including Kunstverein Toronto (Toronto), the Real DMZ Project (Paju), Galerie SAW (Ottawa), Franz Kaka (Toronto), Galerie Nicolas Robert (Toronto), Jack Barrett Gallery (New York), the Small Arms Inspection Building (Mississauga), Julius Caesar (Chicago), and Nerri Baranco (Mexico City). Franz Kaka represents HaeAhn Paul Kwon Kajander’s work.