Korean-American painter Leeah Joo’s work is inspired by the enigmatic and hidden. In her illusionist paintings, she teases our predisposition to probe and uncover. Intriguing parcels in her Pojagi series are enveloped by a lavish, traditional Korean wrapping cloth and beckon to be unpacked. The richly detailed paintings of lacey drapery in her Parrhasius series present an open-ended narrative, inviting us to question what lies behind the curtain. Joo studied painting and art history at Indiana University in Bloomington and received her MFA in painting from the Yale School of Art, Her paintings have been exhibited widely in the U.S. and South Korea. She is the recipient of notable awards from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, George Sugarman Foundation, Connecticut Commission on Arts and the Puffin Foundation. Currently, Leeah Joo lives and paints in Middlebury, Connecticut and teaches at Southern CT State University and Paier College.
“Leeah Joo is a Korean-American painter based in Connecticut. Born in 1971 in Seoul, Leeah was raised by a sculptor father and an illustrator mother. At age ten, her family moved to Indianapolis, where she spent her youth.”
Korean-American painter Leeah Joo’s work is inspired by the enigmatic and hidden. In her illusionist paintings, she teases our predisposition to probe and uncover. Intriguing parcels in her Pojagi series are enveloped by a lavish, traditional Korean wrapping cloth and beckon to be unpacked. The richly detailed paintings of lacey drapery in her Parrhasius series present an open-ended narrative, inviting us to question what lies behind the curtain. Joo studied painting and art history at Indiana University in Bloomington and received her MFA in painting from the Yale School of Art, Her paintings have been exhibited widely in the U.S. and South Korea. She is the recipient of notable awards from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, George Sugarman Foundation, Connecticut Commission on Arts and the Puffin Foundation. Currently, Leeah Joo lives and paints in Middlebury, Connecticut and teaches at Southern CT State University and Paier College.
Currently on view at Arcadia Contemporary in New York City is artist Leeah Joo's solo exhibition, "The Parrhasius Paintings."
Leeah Joo is a Korean-American painter based in Connecticut. Born in 1971 in Seoul, Leeah was raised by a sculptor father and an illustrator mother. At age ten, her family moved to Indianapolis, where she spent her youth. She studied painting and art history at Indiana University in Bloomington and received her MFA in painting from Yale School of Art. Her paintings have exhibited widely in U.S. and South Korea and recognized with awards from Pollock Krasner, George Sugarman Foundation and Connecticut Commission on Arts. Since 1996, she has taught and served as visiting artist and critic at many institutions including the Kansas City Art Institute, Maryland Institute College of Art, Hartford Art School and Fairfield University. She lives and paints in Middlebury and teaches at Southern CT State University.