Afterlayers: Tai Hwa Goh & Julia Kwon

Opening reception: Thursday, September 17, 2026, 5-7pm

Two artists transform traditional materials–textile and paper–to explore themes of identity and memory. Tai Hwa Goh creates intricate, layered installations from printed and cut paper, inspired by organic forms, landscapes, and the relationship between the interior and exterior. Goh’s process pushes the limits of traditional printmaking, as she modifies the characteristics of paper and thin fabric by covering with batik or ironing thin sheets of beeswax onto her prints, deliberately obscuring the underlying images. She then uses techniques like sewing, gluing, and manipulating printed materials to construct intricate, honeycomb-like structures. Found objects seamlessly integrate into the work, reflecting the blending of the personal and the universal, as well as natural and artificial elements.Through this process, the imagery gradually moves away from recognizable forms, and the dense layers serve as a space where nature, memory, and personal experience intertwine. Her installations invite viewers to contemplate the balance between the natural world and human existence, and how everyday moments can reveal deeper insights into our lives.

Julia Kwon sews interpretive Korean textiles, specifically in the form of patchwork bojagi (Korean object-wrapping cloth), to critique received notions of Asiatic femininity and challenge reductive, easily legible identities. Although her bojagi textiles may initially be perceived as traditionally Korean, the patchwork designs are actually derived from urgent contemporary sociopolitical issues and events. Her work moves beyond simply representing minority identities as she aims to comment on the interconnected systems of oppression. Kwon’s practice contests the notion of authenticity and explores the complexities involved in constructing identities within the current framework of cultural hybridity, intersectionality, and the collective pursuit of social justice.