Kaili Chun

Kaili Chun is a sculptor and installation artist based in Hawaii. Her works address ideas of containment and exposure, agency and restraint.  Process and materials transform physical spaces into unique environments commenting on contemporary issues in her work.  She often constructs narratives through symbols and objects that address the impact of historical events on the present day.  Organic elements are sometimes included in her pieces, and the changes they undergo during the course of an exhibition metaphorically reference the nature of culture as an evolutionary process.

Chun’s diverse training includes receiving her AB (Bachelor of Arts) degree in Architecture from Princeton University, during which time she also studied with renown ceramicist Toshiko Takaezu; a Master of Fine Art degree from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa; and an apprenticeship with master canoe builder and woodworker Wright Elemakule Bowman, Sr. She is currently enrolled in the Global Track, DArch program at the School of Architecture, University of Hawaii at Mānoa.

Numerous museums and galleries such as the Landesmuseum, (Hannover, Germany); University of Alaska Museum; Linden Museum, (Stuttgart, Germany); Museum of Art & Design, (New York, USA); Sacred Circle Gallery, (Washington, USA); The Contemporary Museum, (Honolulu, Hawaii); the Wing Luke Museum (Seattle); Galerie Rasch, Kassel, Germany and the Honolulu Museum of Art have exhibited Chun’s installations.

 Her work is included in private and institutional collections in Hawaii, the continental U.S. and Germany. 

Awards

John Young Award, 2017 Honolulu Museum of Art, Artists of Hawaii 2017
Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Fellowship, 2014

Joan Mitchell Center, Artist Residency, 2013
Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors Grant, 2010

Catherine E.B. Cox Award for Excellence in the Visual Arts, 2006

State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Hawaii, Individual Artist Visual Arts Fellowship, Conceptual Art, 2000

Representation

Seeking Representation