# Mina Cheon

Mina Cheon (born 1973) is a Korean American new media artist, scholar, and educator. Since 1997, she has been living between Baltimore, New York, and Seoul.

## Early life and education

Cheon was born in Seoul, South Korea. Being the daughter of a South Korean diplomat and cultural attache, she grew up in the cities of Seoul, New York, Copenhagen, and Ottawa.
Her B.F.A. in painting is from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea; M.F.A. in painting is from Hoffberger School of Painting, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA); and M.F.A. in Imaging Digital Arts from University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She also received a PhD in Philosophy of Media and Communications from the European Graduate School, European University for Interdisciplinary Studies, Switzerland in 2008 and is currently on the faculty of Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA).

## Teaching

One of Cheon's educational contributions has been the international art program and exchange that she has led with architect, Gabriel Kroiz, and between American and Korean art, architecture, and design students. She has directed international art education since 2004, working with universities in Seoul such as Hongik University, Korea National University of Arts, and with Ewha Womans University in 2010, taking students from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and Morgan State University to South Korea. Cheon expanded her teaching horizons from just art to teaching in the departments of Foundation; Art History; Language, Literature, and Culture; and Interactive Media. She was also the founder and director of the summer study abroad program MICA Korea that was held each summer in Seoul, Korea between 2004 and 2007.

## Exhibitions

At times appearing as a North Korean social realist painter Kim Il Soon, artist Mina Cheon advocates for global peace and Korean unification as a social activist political pop artist. Cheon's "POLIPOP: Political Pop Art" has been exhibited internationally, which includes painting, new media art, interactive media, installation art, and performance art work.
Her solo exhibitions include: "Happy North Korean Children" at Trunk Gallery, Seoul; "Choco-Pie Propaganda" at Ethan Cohen New York Gallery; "POLIPOP" at Sungkok Art Museum, Seoul, Korea (2012); "Polipop and Paintings" at the Maryland Art Place, Baltimore, Maryland; "Groundless" at Lance Fung Gallery, New York, (2002); "Dizz/placement" at Insa Art Space, Art Council, Seoul, Korea; "Addressing Dolls" at C.Grimalids Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland (named as "Best Solo Exhibition" by City Paper). Diamonds Light Baltimore is a collaborative project built by Mina Cheon and Gabriel Kroiz composed of fifteen unique diamond shaped sculptures of different shapes and sizes. These sculptures are large enough for the audience to walk inside and through it. The diamond sculptures are made of LED lights to highlight the unique shape of the object.
On February 23, 2012, "Magic and Media," a New Media Caucus-sponsored panel, was held at the College Art Association 100th Annual Conference in Los Angeles. Cheon chaired the panel with Lisa Paul Streitfeld, and it focused on the age of new media culture like reality TV shows, horror flicks, the re-creations of religious cults, online spiritual healing, and pop-star worship. The intent was to expose fragments of how chaotic humanity can be.
On June 30, 2021, Cheon held an Artist talk with The Korean Society in New York City, where she had an exhibition of her art intended to demonstrate the unification and peace that both Koreas are seeking. As a global activism artist, Cheon’s projects to unite both Koreas include making a pair of sneakers where the flag of North Korea is drawn on one shoe, and on the other, the flag of South Korea is drawn. Her statement for this is that you need two feet to move forward; therefore, Koreans can’t move forward without leaving the other country behind.

## Publications

Cheon's Shamanism + Cyberspace (Atropos Press, New York and Dresden; ISBN 0-9825309-5-1) was published in 2009. Cheon's article co-authored with Gabriel Kroiz "The Konglish Critique" in Beyond Critique edited by Susan Waters-Eller and Joseph J. Basile (Maisonneuve Press, College Park, MD; ISBN 9780944624500) was published in 2013. Co-authored by Cheon and Kroiz' Combat: Sports and Military (Culture Bank Publishing, Seoul, South Korea; OCLC 880846215 ISBN 978-89-964858-0-3. -03600) was published in 2010. Cheon's chaired panel "Magic and Media" in Media-N: Journal of the New Media Caucus (Media-N, NMC, USA; ISSN 2159-6891) was published in 2012.
Her current artistic research involves delving into racism in published visual arts encompassing Asian nations that are found in images and popular culture.