Biography
Yoonmi Nam (born 1974, Seoul, South Korea) is a printmaker, ceramicist, and installation artist whose work explores cross-cultural experience and transience through quiet observations of everyday objects. Born and raised in Seoul, she earned a B.F.A. in Printmaking from Hong-Ik University in 1997 before moving to the United States, where she received an M.F.A. with Honors in Painting/Printmaking from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2000.
Nam joined the University of Kansas faculty in 2001, where she is now a Professor in the Department of Visual Art. She teaches lithography, mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock printmaking), fundamentals of printmaking, drawing, and senior seminars. She also co-directs "Visual Art in Japan," a summer study abroad program at the university.
Her artistic practice centers on the depiction of everyday objects and occurrences, especially when they suggest contradictions — a perception of time that feels both temporary and lasting, and a sense of place that feels both familiar and foreign. Working primarily in mokuhanga and lithography, Nam also explores three-dimensional media including clay, glass, and paper. Through printmaking and ceramics, she reimagines disposable items — Styrofoam take-out containers, plastic bags, yogurt cups, and instant noodle bowls — as still-life subjects and cultural artifacts, drawing attention to their lasting material impact despite their fleeting use.
Nam integrates references to multiple Asian art traditions in her work. She draws on Chaekgeori, a Korean still-life painting genre from the Joseon period, employs traditional mokuhanga techniques learned during residencies in Japan, and references seventeenth-century Chinese woodblock printed books. Her ceramic work uses Korean celadon glazes applied to slip-cast forms made from vacuum-formed packaging molds.
Her commitment to mokuhanga is recognized internationally. She was awarded residencies at the Mokuhanga Innovation Laboratory (MI-LAB) in Japan three times — in 2004, 2012, and 2019 — to study traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques. She is the recipient of the Keiko Kadota Award for Advancement of Mokuhanga, one of the field's most significant honors. Additional awards include a Solo Exhibition Award from The Print Center in Philadelphia, The Hall Center Creative Work Fellowship at the University of Kansas, and the Ngawang Choephel Fellowship from the U.S. State Department.
Nam has completed residencies at numerous institutions including Brandywine Workshop, Frans Masereel Centrum (Belgium), Kala Art Institute, Vermont Studio Center, and the Lawrence Arts Center. Her work is held in the permanent collections of the RISD Museum (Rhode Island), Spencer Museum of Art (Kansas), Beach Museum of Art (Kansas), and the Hawai'i State Art Museum. She has presented her work in over 25 solo exhibitions and 200 group exhibitions across Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, Korea, Germany, Poland, Mexico, Bulgaria, Italy, Sweden, Paraguay, and throughout the United States.
Key Facts
- Active Period
- 1974
- Nationality
- 🇰🇷South Korea
- Movement
- Contemporary Mokuhanga
Frequently Asked Questions
Yoonmi Nam (born 1974, Seoul, South Korea) is a printmaker, ceramicist, and installation artist whose work explores cross-cultural experience and transience through quiet observations of everyday objects. Born and raised in Seoul, she earned a B.F.A. in Printmaking from Hong-Ik University in 1997 before moving to the United States, where she received an M.F.A. with Honors in Painting/Printmaking from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2000.
Yoonmi Nam was active born in 1974. They were associated with the Contemporary Mokuhanga movement.
Yoonmi Nam's work was shaped by the Contemporary Mokuhanga tradition in Japanese woodblock printmaking. Contemporary Mokuhanga: Contemporary mokuhanga (literally "wood-block print") encompasses artists working from approximately 1970 to the present who continue or reinvent traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques.
Yoonmi Nam's prints frequently feature still life, birds & flowers, lithograph, seascapes.
Yoonmi Nam is a contemporary printmaker whose work has been acquired by museum collections, confirming institutional recognition. Museum representation supports collector confidence. Prices range from $200 for smaller works to $5,000 for major compositions. Most prints sell in the $500–$2,000 range. Museum-collected contemporary printmakers represent a strong value proposition, as institutional validation often precedes market appreciation.
