Meet Namwon Choi of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Namwon Choi.

Hi Namwon, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I began my art education very early, learning from my father, who is also an artist. That foundation led me to Hongik University in Seoul, where I earned both my BFA and MFA in Oriental Painting. In 2002, I moved to the United States to expand my training and engage more directly with the American art community.
Over time, my practice evolved to combine photorealist techniques with specific forms of abstraction, using acrylic and gouache on shaped panels. Most of my paintings begin with images taken from my dashboard iPhone—quiet, everyday driving moments that I render as blue monochromes and then layer with abstract elements inspired by highway road signs. This process allows me to explore whether emotional depth and precise technique can coexist within a single painting.
In 2014, I completed an MFA in Drawing and Painting at Georgia State University. Since then, my work has been exhibited widely, including a 2021 solo exhibition, Dot Dot Dot , that was reviewed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and solo shows at the Moss Art Center at Virginia Tech and Laney Contemporary in 2022. In 2023, I was included in New Worlds: Georgia Women to Watch at the Atlanta Contemporary, then later that year exhibited at the Untitled Miami art fair. I have shown at Korean Cultural Centers in Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington D.C. The Washington D.C. exhibition was covered by The Washington Post. In 2024 I had my first solo museum exhibition, titled 248 Miles, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Georgia as part of their Working Artist Project. More recently, I presented a solo booth with Pentimenti Gallery at the NADA New York City art fair in May 2025.
Each step of my journey has shaped my artistic practice which is deeply rooted in observation and the visual language of my life.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Moving between countries and cultures required me to begin again and again. I learned new systems, formed community from nothing, and slowly found my voice within different art worlds. Looking back, I understand that my art is inseparable from my lived experience itself, deepening as my life matures. What once felt like relocation struggle has become a vital resource, shaping both how I see and how I make art. Finding what felt true in my studio practice took time. Balancing teaching, family duties, and the quiet persistence of a studio life remains an ongoing negotiation. From these tensions my work has found its language. They are not only central to my paintings, but central to the path I continue to walk as an artist.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My work is deeply personal and rooted in everyday life, particularly my experience of long-distance car travel. For the past ten years, I have lived hours away from my children which has made driving a constant part of my routine. This inspired me to take the iPhone photos from my dashboard that became the foundation of my work. These paintings portray photorealistic views down highways that I originally always see framed by the shape of my car windows. That led me to explore shaped paintings. Whether it’s the landscape, highway, or sky, I like to create a natural connection between form and subject. The photorealism came first for me, but I was attracted to a particular form of abstraction that I saw in American highway signs, which to me also echoed the geometric shapes of Korean letters. I hope that when people view my paintings, they see my distinctive identity and feel the emotional connections that drive the work.
I’m most proud of the momentum my career has gained since 2023. Since I moved to Atlanta, I always wanted to have a studio at the Atlanta Contemporary, and to show at the Atlanta Contemporary and MOCA GA, so I am very grateful to have received those things. My first solo commercial gallery exhibition happened in Atlanta which led to my work being acquired by the Coca Cola Collection. All this activity in Atlanta activated opportunities to show outside Atlanta, which resulted in solo art fair booths in New York City. Very recently I received word that I was going to be included in a group exhibition of women artists at the Mattatuck Museum in Watersbury, Connecticut that opens in March 2026. Later in May 2026 I will go to the Elizabeth Murray Foundation residency in Granville, New York.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
I have been incredibly fortunate to have mentors and supporters who have shaped my journey as an artist. My earliest influence was my artist father, who introduced me to the discipline of painting and laid the foundation that guided me into the art world from a very young age. Later, my professors at Hongik University in Seoul and Georgia State University played crucial roles in helping me develop my visual language and navigate the art world with confidence.
Since moving from Seoul to Georgia in 2002, Atlanta has profoundly shaped my identity as an artist. Over the years, I have learned English, raised two children, reactivated my art practice, held my first museum exhibition, mounted my first gallery show, installed a successful solo art fair booth, and began teaching.
Galleries such as Pentimenti in Philadelphia, Laney Contemporary in Savannah, and Sandler Hudson Gallery in Atlanta have been invaluable advocates, providing exhibition opportunities and supporting my work on both the national and international stage.
Above all, my family, and most especially my children, Haley and Esoo and my husband Craig, are the quiet heartbeat of my inspiration. Each day, they remind me of the power of perseverance, gently urging me forward even when the path feels uncertain. Their unwavering love and support are the roots from which my art grows, grounding me with strength and giving me the courage to continue creating.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.choinamwon.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/namwonchoi/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkun8Iw6eMQ