Julia Chon

Join us for a talk with artist Julia Chon (aka Kimchi Juice) about her reimagined Phillips Centennial logo. She talks with Andrea Kim Neighbors, Manager of Education Initiatives at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.

“America’s institutions have long been the bastions of cultural discourse, deciding what and who makes history. However, the narrative these institutions dictate has often neglected the artistic and intellectual contributions of artists of color. Asian Americans have long been erased from U.S. history and Asian American artists are no exception. To commemorate the centennial anniversary of The Phillips Collection, I painted the portraits of five Asian and Asian American artists whose work resides in the museum. Isamu Noguchi, Jennifer Wen Ma, Ching Ho Cheng, Nikki S. Lee, and Alfonso Ossorio were and continue to be trailblazers in the art world and their works have left an indelible print on history and the story of Asian America. Reflecting on the past century of The Phillips Collection, I began to envision what the next 100 years would look like for this esteemed museum. With the power to shape history, I hope that the future of the collection is one of diversity, inclusion, and equality. It was an honor to be selected to redesign The logo for the Phillips Collection and I look forward to seeing what the coming century brings.”

Julia Chon, better known by her artist’s name, Kimchi Juice (@kimchi.juice), is a Washington, DC-based artist and muralist. Chon’s work plays off the cultural stereotypes about Asian women in Western culture: meek, subservient, yet sexualized. Depicted in traditional dress, Chon’s portraits of these women redefine modern Asian femininity. As Chon’s work makes its way from canvases to large scale murals, these intimate portraits take center stage in an urban environment. Her murals can be found internationally and her work has been exhibited in solo and group shows in DC, Los Angeles, and Miami. She has collaborated with the Korean Cultural Center, DC United, ‘47, Apple, and NASA. In 2017, Instagram recognized her as a teen entrepreneur.

More about “Our Logo Reimagined” project