Research/Teaching Interests (from major to minor)

Modern and Contemporary Korean Art

Korean Art, Design and Visual Culture

East Asian and Asian Art, Visual and Material Culture

Trans-Asian and Global Studies

Popular Culture, Ecology, Media, Film, and Visual Communication

Academic Positions

Tenure-Track Assistant Professor, The University of Alabama

Fall 2019-present

Postdoctoral Faculty Fellow, University of Nebraska-Lincoln    

Fall 2016- Spring 2019

Education

The Ohio State University, Ph.D., History of Art, 2016.

The Ohio State University, Master of Arts, History of Art, 2012.

The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Bachelor of Arts, With High Distinction (Magna cum laude), History of Art, 2007.

Publications

[Books]

·      Contemporary Korean Art: New Directions since the 1960s. (London: Reaktion Books; Chicago: Distributed by the University of Chicago Press, 2024). https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/contemporary-korean-art , https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/C/bo214800076.html

·      Jung Yeondoo’s Media Art: Quantum Deformation through Coincidence of the Real and the Virtual. In Korean and English (Seoul: Visual Arts Department, Arts Council Korea, 2018).

·      Contemporary Korean Art Beyond Korea: Transnational Communication and Global Visual Culture (In progress).

·  Art for the Anthropocene: Ecological and Climate Communication in Korean Art (In progress)

[Academic Journal Articles/Book Chapter]

·      “The Intersections of Buddhism and Contemporary Korean Visual Culture.” Special Issue: Religious Conflict and Coexistence in Korea, Religions 16 (November 2025): 1337 (pp. 1-20). Religions 2025, 16(11), 1337; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16111337 [Referred]

·      “A Bridge Between Past and Present: Contemporary Korean Art and New Media.” In Prism K-Studies: Perspectives on Korean Traditional Arts and Culture (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, forthcoming in 2026). [Referred]

·      “Interaction and Connection: Visualizing Politics, War and Culture in Contemporary Korean Art.” (Under review)                                                                                           

·      “Breathing with the Times: Park Seo-Bo’s Newspaper Ecritures.” (London: White Cube, November 2024). https://www.whitecube.com/shop/park-seo-bo-the-newspaper-ecritures-2022-23

·      “Achieving Modernity in the Art of Pan Tianshou.” Yishu: Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art 21, no. 103 (March 2024): 50-62.

·      “Visualizing Buddhism Today: The Works of Jeong Hwa Choi, Kimsooja, and Do Ho Suh.” Religion and the Arts 27, no. 5 (December 2023): 613-644. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685292-02705002 [Refereed]

·      “Reinscribing Tradition in Twentieth Century China: A Biographical Sketch of Pan Tianshou (1897-1971).” Asian Culture 44 (December 2020): 25-45. [Refereed]

·      “Debating Wang Meng’s (1308-1385) Undated Handscroll: The Continuous Dialogue between Images and Texts in China.” Misulsahak yŏn’gu (Korean Journal of Art History) 305 (March 2020): 149-170. [Refereed]

·      “Across Time and Space: Historical Influence on Pan Tianshou (1897-1971).” Orientations 48, no. 4 (2017): 42-47.

·      “The Embodiment of Time and Space: Political Expression of Pan Tianshou.” American Journal of Chinese Studies 24, no. 2 (October 2017): 141-152. [Refereed]

·      “Beyond Representation: Reinscribing Museum’s Collection of Chinese Painting in the Contested History: A Case Study of Pan Tianshou Memorial Museum.” Bakmulgwan hakbo (Journal of Museum Studies) 32 (June 2017): 105-128. [Refereed]   

[Professional Writing: Focusing on Art, Media, and Popular Culture]

·      “Squid Game and Vincent van Gogh.” Column, Korean Society of Museum Studies, November 19, 2021 (http://www.museumstudies.kr/?m=bbs&bid=column_free&uid=1308) (Korean)

·      “D.P. and DMZ Theater.” Column, Korean Society of Museum Studies, September 13, 2021 (http://www.museumstudies.kr/?m=bbs&bid=column_free&uid=1244) (Korean)

·      “Perfect Family and Move to Heaven.” Column, Korean Society of Museum Studies, May 18, 2021 (http://www.museumstudies.kr/?m=bbs&bid=column_free&uid=1234) (Korean)

·      “Hope and Empathy.” Column, Korean Society of Museum Studies, July 28, 2020 (http://www.museumstudies.kr/?m=bbs&bid=column_free&uid=1114) (Korean)

[Thesis]

·      “Pan Tianshou (1897-1971): Rediscovering Traditional Chinese Painting in the Twentieth Century.” Ph.D. diss., Ohio State University, History of Art, 2016.

·      “Lotus and Birds in the Cincinnati Art Museum: Philosophical Syncretism in the Traditional Work of Bada Shanren.” MA Thesis. Ohio State University, History of Art, 2012.

[Translations (Korean to English)]

·      Kwon, So-hyun. “Ceramics and Ritual Vessels of the Royal Household.” In Treasures from Korea: Arts and Culture of the Joseon Dynasty, 1392-1920, edited by Woo Hyunsoo. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2014.

·      Jang, Namwon. “The Marine Transportation for Taxation, Ceramic Industry and Circulation in the Goryeo Dynasty.” In Misulsa Yŏn’gu (Journal of Art History) 22 (2008): 169-193, in Korean Ceramics in the Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. (http://korean-ceramics.asia.si.edu/)

Fellowships and Grants

Grant for Korean Art Publication Event 2024, The Korean Art Management Service (KAMS), Seoul, South Korea, 2023 (KRW25,000,000» approximately $19,230)

2023 KAMS (The Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korean Arts Management Service) Publishing Korean Art: Overseas Publication Support Program, Seoul, South Korea, 2023 (KRW15,500,000» approximately $11,600)

The New Foundation for Art History (NFAH) Publication Subvention Grants, New York, 2023 ($1,500).

Fluid Mechanics for Elementary School Students via High-speed Flow Imaging Using Smartphones and Tablets, The Collaborative Arts Research Initiative, the College of Education, and the Office of Research and Economic Development, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, 2021-2022 ($15,000)

Marilyn A. Papp Graduate Scholarship, Marilyn A. Papp Graduate Scholarship Trust, L. Roy Papp & Associates, Phoenix, AZ, 2014-2016 ($11,000)

ASC Awards, The Ohio State University, Columbus, 2014-2015 ($10,000)

Graduate School’s Alumni Grants for Graduate Research and Scholarship (AGGRS), The Ohio State University, Columbus, 2014

Chinese Object Study Workshop Grant, Smithsonian Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington DC & Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, August 2013

The Versar Grant, The Ohio State University, Columbus, April 2013

Pyne Grant, The Ohio State University, Columbus, April 2013

Snow Grant, The Ohio State University, Columbus, January 2013, September 2012

University Fellowship, The Ohio State University, Columbus, 2010-2011 ($58,000)

Research Grant, The Ohio State University, Columbus, September 2010

Awards, Prizes, and Honors

New Face 31 from World: Global Korean Power, Art In Culture, Seoul, South Korea, 2024.

Arts & Sciences Program for Intensive Research (ASPIRE) Award, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, 2022 (One semester's sabbatical from work)

Certificate of Recognition for Contributions to Students Awards, UNL Parents Association, The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, 2019

James B. Angell Scholar, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, March 2008, March 2007

University of Honors, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, December 2007, April 2007, December 2006, April 2006

Presentations, Lectures, and Exhibitions (Invited/Selected) 

“The Scalability of Kimsooja’s Art through the Coexistence of Local and Global Discourses.” 114th CAA (College Art Association of America) Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, February 2026.

“Remapping the Historical Trajectory of the Asian Diaspora: Diachronic and Macroscopic Perspective on Korean American Art.” 2025 Annual Conference of the Southwest Conference on Asian Studies (SWCAS), Texas A&M University-San Antonio, Virtual/San Antonio, Texas & Online, November 2025.

“Contemporary Korean Art: New Directions since the 1960s.” FIT State University of New York, New York, October 2025.

“Beyond Visual Boundaries: Transnational Communication and Consilience in Korean American Visual Studies.” The 42nd International Visual Sociology Conference (IVSA 2025), Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea, June 2025.

“A New Direction in Contemporary Korean Art since the 1960s.” The fifth Colloquium: The Future and Prospects of Korean Studies, Institute for Korean Studies at Soongsil University, Seoul, South Korea, June 2025.

“Concreteness and Historicity: The Value and Role of Abstraction in Early Twentieth-Century Korean Art and Design.” 113th CAA (College Art Association of America) Annual Conference, New York, NY, February 2025.

“Contemporary Korean Art: New Directions since the 1960s.” Contemporary Korean Art Conference, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, November 2024. https://sites.google.com/view/contemporary-korean-art/home

“Contemporary Korean Art: New Directions since the 1960s.” AHL Foundation, New York, NY, October 2024.

“Transpacific Consilience in Korean American Art.” The Transpacific Intercultural Collaboration Symposium, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, May 2024.

“Exploring East Asian Art: Tradition and Contemporaneity.” Auburn University, Auburn, April 2024.

“Contemporary Korean Art: New Directions since the 1960s.” An Encounter with the Korean Avant-Garde Symposium, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, April 2024.

“Visualizing Buddhism in Contemporary Korean Art: The Works of Jeong Hwa Choi, Kimsooja, and Do Ho Suh.” 112th CAA (College Art Association of America) Annual Conference, Virtual/Chicago, IL & Online, February 2024.

“Early Korean American Art: Identity, Discourse and Hybridity.” 52nd Annual SWCAS (Southwest Conference on Asian Studies) Conference, Virtual, November 2023.

“Engagement and Recreation: Memory and Documentation in Korean Contemporary Art.” The AAS-in-Asia 2023 Conference, Daegu, Korea, June 2023.

“The Challenge of Authoritarian Government and the Urging of Popular Culture through the Medium of Art: A Study of Two Art Groups in the 1960s and 1970s.” Theorizing Global Authoritarianism: To Reclaim Critical Theory Against the Grain, Seoul, Korea, June 2023.

“A Case Study of Changes and Expansion in Artistry through Residency Programs in Korean Contemporary Art.” The 9th Art History Symposium, Seoul, Korea, June 2023.

“Contemporaneity and Popularity in Today’s Korean Art.” International Symposium on Korean Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, November 2022.

“Science Meets Art, Everyday Meets Art.” Part of Fluid Mechanics for Elementary School Students via High-speed Flow Imaging Using Smartphones and Tablets, Skyland Elementary School, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, April 2022.

“Empathy and Connection: Visualizing Democratic Uprising, Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and Inter-Korean Relations.” 110th CAA (College Art Association of America) Annual Conference, Virtual/Chicago, IL & Online, March 2022.

“Reinterpreting Tradition in Modern and Contemporary Ink Painting.” International Academic Conference, Seoul National University, South Korea, December 2021.

“Female Identity and Glocalization in Korea.” 50th Annual SWCAS (Southwest Conference on Asian Studies) Conference, Virtual, October 2021.

“Empathy and Connection: Visualizing Military Dictatorship, Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and Inter-Korean Relations.” 2021 ECR Conference (Early Career Researchers and Graduate Students Conference), Virtual/Edinburgh, United Kingdom, September 2021.

“Female Identity and Glocalization in Korea.” The 12th ICAS (International Convention of Asia Scholars), Kyoto, Japan, August 2021.

“Empathy and Connection: Visualization of Traumatic War and Inter-Korean Relations.” AAS (The Association for Asian Studies) Annual Conference, Seattle, WA, March 2021.

“Quantum Deformation of Reality: A New Perspective and Visualization of Traumatic Disasters in Contemporary Art.” The AAS-in-Asia 2020 Conference, Kobe, Japan, September 2020.

“Debating Wang Meng’s (1308-1385) Undated Handscroll: The Continuous Dialogue between Images and Texts in China.” Art History Association of Korea Conference, Seoul, South Korea, June 2020.

“Korean Artist, Jung Yeondoo: The Coexistence of Reality and Fantasy.” 108th CAA (College Art Association of America) Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, February 2020.

“Creativity in Contemporary Art: Jung Yeondoo’s Quantum Deformation of Reality.” The AAS-in-Asia 2019 Conference, Bangkok, Thailand, July 2019.

“Experimental Art in the 1960s and 1970s Korea.” AAS (The Association for Asian Studies) Annual Conference, Denver, CO, March 2019.

“Quantum Deformation of Reality: Mathematics, Physics, and Art.” KIAS (Korea Institute for Advanced Study), Seoul, South Korea, December 2018.

“The Concealed Essence of the Phenomenon: Korean Experimental Art for Today.” MACAA (Mid-America College Art Association), Lincoln, NE, October 2018.

“Reinscribing Traditional Ink Painting in Twentieth-century China.” The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, February 2018.

“Life in Memory.” Exhibition of In Appreciation, UNL, Lincoln, NE, January 2018.

“Beyond Representation: Reinscribing Museum’s Collection of Chinese Painting in the Contested History.” International Council of Museums, Seoul, South Korea, May 2017.

“Past and Present: Exchange, Negotiation, and Transformation in East Asia.” The Korean National University of Cultural Heritage, Buyeo, South Korea, May 2017.

“Intersection of Religion with Modern Chinese Ink Painting.” University of Nebraska-Omaha, NE, April 2017. 

“Cultural Nationalism and Modernity: Rediscovering Pan Tianshou in Twentieth Century China.” University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE, April 2016.

“Epitomizing Hybrid Subjectivity and Sociocultural Environment: Letter by Li Zhi of Bada Shanren (1626-1705).” The Mellon Chinese Object Study Conference at Smithsonian Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington DC, November 2014.

“Universal Conversation Between Literature and Art in the Early Twentieth Century in China: A Case Study of Pan Tianshou (1897-1971).” The 62nd MCAA (Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs) at Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, October 2013.

“Lotus and Birds in the Cincinnati Art Museum: Philosophical Syncretism in the Transitional Work of Bada Shanren.” The 40th Midwest Art History Society Annual Conference, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, March 2013.

“Bada Shanren (1626-1705)’s Continuous Conversation with Buddhism and its Reflection through his Art.” 52nd Southeast Conference Association for Asian Studies, Wilmington, NC, January 2013.

“The Reflection of Wang Meng (1308-1385)’s Eremitic Literati Life in Retreat at the Foot of Mt. Hui.” The 61st MCAA (Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs) at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, September 2012.

“Sharing Artistic Vocabulary between Zhu Da and the Later Generations in Modern China.” ICS Graduate Student Symposium, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, February 2012.

“Bada Shanren: Lotus and Birds of 1690 as his Transitional Work.” 51st Southeast Conference Association for Asian Studies, Greenville, SC, January 2012.