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Collage of five diverse artworks from the Hammer Museum Collections side by side. From left to right: 1) Contemporary painting of two embracing figures with surreal elements. 2) Post-impressionist style painting of trees with vibrant blues and greens. 3) Black and white illustration of a face with intricate patterns. 4) Japanese woodblock print style image of a figure in a checkered robe. 5) Photograph of a couple dancing, the woman in a black dress and the man in white

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Painting of the artist's mother washing dishes at the sink of a cluttered kitchen

Paige Jiyoung Moon

Back to Made in L.A. 2023: Acts of Living

Paige Jiyoung Moon’s small-scale acrylic paintings present a variety of images of everyday life. They are intimate and quiet, inspired by photographs of the artist’s living spaces, Southern California cityscapes, and public gathering places. Moon’s paintings are intricately rendered with fine brushes. They depict an individualized and detailed domesticity that offers specificity and also makes us wonder what might exist beyond the edges of the painting. The artist works with the material of daily life and mundane scenes: washing dishes, napping with her baby, a day at art school, a local commute. She pays full attention to the moment while also rendering what appear to be stills in a larger cinematic story. Moon is committed to “minor” stories, bringing these scenes to the foreground as a way to highlight the importance of deceleration, family bonds, and community.

The artist’s outdoor scenes are finely textured, attempting the same level of detail as her interior paintings even as the scale of the scene has become monumental. Moon shows people candidly, not aware that they are being observed. Her subjects are family, friends, or strangers on their phones, lying in bed, out for a jog, or enjoying nature. While they include figures, these paintings are largely populated by an abundance of objects that, through her careful rendering, Moon arranges as if undertaking a taxonomic endeavor, creating neatness and order out of a chaotic world.

Bio

Paige Jiyoung Moon (b. 1984, Seoul) received a BFA from ArtCenter College of Design in 2012. Her work has been exhibited in solo presentations at Steve Turner, Los Angeles (2020, 2019), and Steven Zevitas Gallery, Boston (2017).