Lauren Chai

Lauren Hana Chai was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii being the first of her family to be born in the United States. Raised by her grandparents who are from South Korea, she grew up with dual cultures: Very traditional with a Korean lifestyle at home, while at the same time being immersed in the western world outside. In 2010, Lauren moved to San Francisco to attend the Academy of Art University and graduated in 2015 with her BFA in painting.

Lauren uses unconventional mediums with mixed media as well as working with her first love, oils. The mixed media brings together different elements which is a reflection of her identity. She paints issues such as taboo, the Korean cultural trait han, history, the clash of traditional and modern, east and west, and the struggle for balance in between.

Chai on her North Korea related work:

"As I grew older and became more interested in my Korean background, learning about North Korea started to become somewhat of a fascinating and heartbreaking obsession for me. I later found out that my grandmother was separated from her own brother during the divide and they were never able to see or hear each other again. It is so painful for her that she can't even tell me the story herself,...

2015 BFA Academy of Art University

Solo Exhibitions

2019 [UPCOMING]

2019 “JEONG”, Mori by Art+Flea, 1170 Auahi St., Honolulu, Hawaii

2018 "A Place In This World", Asian American Resource Center, Austin, Texas

2018 "Last Known Locations", Impact Hub Honolulu, Honolulu, Hawaii

2017 "Lauren Hana Chai: A Search For Self", The Korean Cultural Center, Houston, Texas

2016 "Last Known Locations", The Little Raven Gallery, San Francisco, California

2014 “Femme Fatale”, The Royale, San Francisco, California, Curator: Trevor Martin

2013 “Faces, Self-Exploration, Eroticsm”, Public Barber Salon, San Francisco, California



Group Exhibitions

2019 “G70 Group Exhibition”, G70, 111 S King St #170, Honolulu, HI

2019 “First Friday”, Hawaii State Art Museum HiSAM Gallery, 250 South Hotel St., Honolulu, HI

2018 "THE 7TH ANNUAL ARTISTS FOR APPLESEED", The Pacific Club, 1451 Queen Emma St., Honolulu, HI

2018 "Heritage", 1132 Bishop St. Lobby, Honolulu, HI

2018 INTERSECTIONS: Considering Imbalance, Kahilu Theatre, Juror: Andi Campognone, Kamuela, HI

2018 Orangenius Explorations Exhibition, Dejavu Gallery, New York, NY

2018 "Pattern", Cactus Gallery, LA, CA

2017 "EIGHT", Art ...