Sijae Byun is a multi-disciplinary visual artist who explores the invisible layers of the inner self and their connection to the external world. Drawing from her nomadic life across Korea, the United States, Singapore, and Japan, she has developed a diverse body of work spanning painting, installation, video, and set design.
The Architecture of Time and Memory
Byun’s practice focuses on visualizing the abstract concept of 'time.' By treating personal memories and imaginations as tangible materials with equal weight, she translates them into immersive visual spaces, offering viewers a profound and transformative experience.
Layered Narratives on Silk
Her work investigates the intricate web of relationships that define our world the interactions between humans and nature, or objects and their surroundings. Using a delicate approach of layering ink, pigment, acrylic, and oil on silk, she creates a visual depth that mirrors the complexity of these connections. Her recent series narrates the existence of living beings navigating the collisions of disparate worlds, ranging from the microscopic movements within the human body to the vast scales of nature, the city, and the cosmos.
About
Award
2017 UOB painting of the year winner Award/ Silver winner (Singapre)
2014 Bethesda Painting Award Finalist / Bethesda Urban Partnership(Maryland)
2013 The Phillips Collection Emerging Artist Winner Prize(U.S Washington D.C)
2013 Strictly painting 9 Award Winner/Mclean Project for the arts(U.S. Virginia)
2008 b. j. spoke gallery /winner prize (U.S. New York)
2007 AAUW/winner prize(U.S. New York)
2006 Mobile Asia 2006/winner prize(Korea Seoul)
2005 SEFOMA (Young media artist)/ Ssamzie Gallery(Korea Seoul)
Residency & Grant
2025 Portable Public Artwork/Bellevue city (U.S. Washington)
2025 Shunpike/Storefront (U.S. Washinton)
2015 Grey Project Residency Program(Singapore)
2012 Arlington Art Center Visiting Artist(U.S. Virginia)
2011 MIRA Residence Program(Italy Lecce)
2011 Can Serrat Residence Program(Spain Barocelona)
2011 Gyeonggi Culture Foundation Grant(Korea Seoul)
2011 Paradise culture Foundation Grant(Korea Seoul)
2010 SEMA Seoul city Museum young artist support program(Korea Seoul)
2009 SOMA drawing center Archive artist(Korea Seoul)
2009 Old house residence program/Seoul(Korea Seoul)
2009 Crossing of movements residence program(KoreaSeoul)
2008 AIM 28 program/ Bronx art Museum(U.S. New York)
2007 Redux artist residency program (U.S. New York)
Collections
The Philips Collection, Washington D.C
4Culture, Seattle
City of Bellevue, Bellevue
UOB Bank of Singapore, Singapore
Raffles Hotel Singapore, Singapore
Group Exhibitions
2026 February Group GroupShow/Ryanjamesfinearts/Kirkland
2025 Storefront Southlake Union/Shunpike/Seattle
Portable Public Artworks/Bellevue City Hall/Bellevue
108 Inner Flora/MOD art market/Kirkland
The true butterfly effect/Slip gallery/Seattle
The Drawing/Soma Artcenter/Seoul
Wildest Dream/Nino gallery/Seattle
Seattle Art Fair/RyanJamesfinearts/Seattle
March Group show/Ryanjamesfinarts/Kirkland
Wildest Dream/Bothell city hall/Bothell
2024 Seattle Art Fair/ Ryanjamesfinearts/Seattle
2023 Have you eaten/ Slip Gallery/Seattle
Summer Group Show/Ryanjamesfinarts/Kirkland
Seattle Art Fair/ Ryanjamesfinearts/Seattle
2018 Size matters/Chan-Hori contemporary/Singapore
Art stage Singapore/UOB art gallery/Singapore
2017 UOB painting of the year winner showcase/UOB art gallery/Singapore
2016 Art stage Jakarta/Chanhampe/Jakarta
Bazarrart/Chanhampe/Jakarta
WPA Auction exhibition/ WPA 1333H/ DC
Art Stage Singapore/chanhampe/Singapore
2015 Nanjing International Art Festival/Beijing/China
Musim/Soma Drawing Museum/Seoul/Korea
2014 Bethesda Painting Award Finalist Show/Gallery B/MD
Sensorium/Gallery 102/DC
Affinity 90/Gallery Chosun/Seoul
Imaginary Friends/CCBC Art Gallery/MD
Organic Tales/ Arlington Artcener/VA
Select 2014/Artisphere/VA
Art Market Hamptons/Tally Beck/NY
L.A Art show/ Tally Beck Contemporary/LA
Reprise: 40 to the Fore/Arlington Arts Center/VA
Here and Now/Arlington Art Center/VA
Hong Kong Hotel Fair/Harbour City Hong Kong/China
2013 Scope Miami/Tally Beck Contemporary/ Miami
Looking forward/RandallScottProject/DC
(e)merge art fair(Washington art project)/DC
Avenue art & Antiques show/The armory/NY
Hickok Cole art night/ Hickok Cole Center/DC
Co-habitation/Artisphere/VA
Social construction/Arlington artcenter/VA
Strictly painting 9/Mclean Project for the arts/VA
Nostalgia Structures/Brentwood artcenter/MD
2012 Machines for Living/Arlington Art center/VA
Blurring Boundaries/Lorton Artcenter/VA
US embassy show/Korea US Embassy/Seoul
(E)merge Art Show/the Capitol Skyline Hotel/DC
2011 curator project/HOMA/Seoul
KIAF11/COEX HALL/Seoul
“Relazione Fracitta’e nastura”/piazza della republica/italy(Lecce)
Uplode/Art Space Loo/Seoul
Media archive project/Insa art space/Seoul
Love kookmin65/Kookminart gallery/Seoul
Coexistence and epigyny/Jeju Museum of Art/Jeju
2010 ASYAF/Sung Shin Women’s University/Seoul
Seogyo sixty 2010 The imaginary archive/sang sang madang/Seoul
I LUV MYSELF/Insa gallery/Seoul
Hwan Sang Dong Hwa/Seoul City Museum/Seoul
INDAF/Tomorrow City Song Do/Incheon
5X7 2010/Art house/Texas
2009 A Celebration of Freedom in America/MOCA/Washington DC
Tolerance in Art/kookmin art gallery/Seoul
Rice cooker man & code woman/Casa bonita/Seoul
Narrative Play 2009/Ho gallery/Seoul
Open show case ‘embracing the city of seoul’/Total Museum/Seoul
2008 AIM 28/Bronx Museum/NY
five x Seven/Arthouse/TX
ArtHarlem/Casa Frela Gallery/NY
Creating, Eating and Playing/song won artcenter/Seoul
Window Brooklyn/Brooklyn/NY
Spring Brush Exhibition/Pen and Brush/NY
Crest Art Show/Crest hard ware store/NY
Paper work/bj spoke gallery/NY
Art is Now(미술은 지금)/Busan biennale/Busan Korea
Rainbow project/Young Eun Museum/Korea
Breathing Namsan, Breathing Seoul/Sung yui women collage/Korea
2007 Hoast/ harlem open studio/NY
Video art in the Age of the Internet/Chelsea Art Museum/NY
Road Show/ Arthur Roger Project Space /New Orleans, Louisiana
Road Show/ Finesilver Gallery /San Antonio, Texas
Road Show/ Boots Contemporary Arts Space /St. Louis, Missouri
Five x seven/arthouse/TX
All Tomorrow’s Parties/Visual Art Gallery/NY
2006 resfest2006/Seoul
connected/art center nabi/seoul
The 1st Reno interdisciplinary festival of New Media/NV
AAUW show/new york designe center/NY
kinaesthetics’/visual arts gallery/NY
dual Scenery/artcomcenter/NJ
IV Juried Show/ galeriagalou/NY
New American talent: twenty-first/The Arthouse TX
2005 SEFOMA/ Ssamzie Gallery(Seoul Korea)
‘Seoul Exhibition of Young Artists’/ Seoul City Museum
White Christmas’/Music Hall of the Seoul Arts Center
2004 Arts and Play/ Hangaram Hall of The Seoul Arts Center(Special Exhibition)
Review at Home/ Kookmin Art Gallery Dreaming Butterfly 2004/ SK Gallery Nabi (an exhibition hall in Seoul Land)
SEMA 2004/ Seoul City Museum
‘Selfish Gene’/Nami Island
Individual Exhibitions
2024 Recall/Ryanjamesfinearts/Kirkland
2018 Momentary/Chan-Hori Contemporary/Singapore
2016 Multifaurious/Chanhampe galleries/Singapore
2013 Vaginascope/Tally beck contemporary/New York
2013 Circulation-respiration/Korean Embassy Culture Center/ Washington DC
2011 Co-habit/Seo kyo art center/Seoul
2010 Old House Project/ Space Can/Seoul
2010 Demoli-creation/gallery chosun/Seoul
2009 The Village/Gasan Gallery/Sungnam
2008 ‘The solo show’/Duru art space/Seoul
2007 ‘Tentacle House’/ Redux contemporary art center/SC
2004 Oxygen Container/ Gallery Chang