06/08/2026
Samantha Yun Wall
What We Leave Behind
“The children born to Asian women and U.S. service members during times of military occupation in Asia must negotiate complex personal and cultural histories. Amerasians, and Black Amerasians in particular, are frequently stigmatized, further complicating their sense of community and belonging In her dynamic black-and-white drawings and paintings, Yun Wall challenges cultural taboos that perpetuate secrecy and silence. She draws inspiration from characters in Korean folklore as well as science fiction-including ghosts, monsters, healers, and storytellers-to deconstruct and reframe the stories of outcasts and challenge the devaluation of difference.
Her latest drawings and paintings on view here are probing and introspective. Yun Wall explains,
“I materialize the women in my family who are unknown to me and have shaped me nonetheless.”
Works such as What We Leave Behind are inspired by a Korean folk tale in which the Pasque flower is symbolic of a grandmother who passed away without the loving care of her grandchildren. It is a story of melancholy, loss, and remembrance. In the exhibition, Yun Wall also uses overlapping silhouettes of female figures as portals to unknown spaces and different temporal realms. In some of the works, she introduces surreal elements, such as a watchful eye at the center of the flower or a realistically rendered hand that reaches into the viewer’s space. This push and pull between dimensions punctures time and space. Alluding to the past and the present, the works point to what remains unsaid or unknown.
Samantha Yun Wall (born 1977, Seoul lives and works in Portland and is the 2024 Betty Bowen Award winner. Established in 1977 to honor the legacy of Betty Bowen-an enthusiastic supporter of Northwest contemporary art-the annual award celebrates a Northwest artist for their original, exceptional, and compelling work. All works courtesy of the artist.”