Nara Park holds a B.F.A. in General Fine Arts followed by an M.F.A. in Sculpture from the Maryland Institute College of Art. She relocated to Seoul, South Korea, after working in the United States until 2021. Her work investigates our relationship to the landscape we live in and the imprint we leave in it when we are gone. Park’s art also delves into the concept of authenticity, probing the boundaries between the natural and artificial, as well as the real and the imitation.

   Park’s solo exhibitions include I Live (Plain Sight, Washington, DC, 2021), Presence (VisArts, Rockville, MD, 2020), Enduring Marks (CulturalDC, Washington, DC, 2018), What Remains (Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC, 2017), Believe (Kohl Gallery, Washington College, Chestertown, MD, 2016). Her work has been exhibited at numerous venues, including The Phillips Collection (Washington, DC), Grounds for Sculpture (Hamilton, NJ), Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans (New Orleans, LA), and the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center(Washington, DC). Park has been a guest speaker at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC. Her works are included in the collections of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, as well as The Phillips Collection. In 2024, she is participating in an artist residency at the Nanji Art Studio as she continues her career in South Korea.

Education

2013 M.F.A. in Rinehart School of Sculpture, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Baltimore, MD

2008 B.F.A. in General Fine Arts, Minor in Art History, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Baltimore, MD

Solo Exhibitions

2021 I live, Plain Sight, Washington, DC

2020 Presence, VisArts, Rockville, MD

2018 Enduring Marks, CulturalDC Mobile Art Gallery, Washington, DC

2017 What Remains, Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC

2016 Believe, Kohl Gallery, Washington College, Chestertown, MD
2016 Between Millions of Years, Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC

2015 I Was Here, Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, VA

2014 Parallels, Honfleur Gallery, Washington DC

Selected Group Exhibitions

2023 Highlights From The Permanent Collection, The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC

2022 Art in Embassies Exhibition, U.S. Ambassador’s residence, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

2021 Seeing Differently, Centennial Exhibition, The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC
2021 There, There, IA&A Hillyer, Washington, DC
2021 Glow, Georgetown Business Improvement District, Washington, DC
2021 K-Recollection, Korean Cultural Center, Washington, DC

2020 Mapping the Future World, Transformer Gallery, Washington, DC
2020 The Trawick Prize Exhibition, Gallery B, Bethesda, MD

2019 All Together Now, De Novo Gallery, Washington, DC
2019 Sondheim Prize Semi-Finalist Exhibition, One Charles Center, Baltimore, MD

2019 Synergy, 200 I Street Gallery, Washington, DC

2018 Highlights From The Permanent Collection, The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC
2018 Change Of State, The Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY

2017 It's Still All Up To You, Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC
2017 Beneath the Surface, Korean Cultural Center, Washington, DC
2017 Nara Park: What Remains, Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC
2017 Collective Monument, Stamp Gallery, University of Maryland, College Park, MD

2016 Recombinant, Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC

2015 new. (now)., Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC

2014 International Sculpture Center Exhibition, Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
2014 Under Construction, Soho20 Gallery, New York, NY
2014 Double Mirror, American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, Washington, DC

2013 International Sculpture Center's Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture, Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ

2013 Ephemeral Arena, Gallery Four, Baltimore, MD
2013 Turn On, Kunsthalle Beacon, Beacon, NY

2009 Exit Wounds, Rush Arts Gallery, New York, NY

Residency

2024 SeMA Nanji Residency, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea

Awards and Grants

2021-2020 DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Fellowship
2020 DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Art Bank Grant

2020 The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, 3rd Place
2020-2019 DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Fellowship
2019  VisArts Studio Fellowship, VisArts, Rockville, MD

2019-2018 DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Fellowship
2017-2015 Hamiltonian Artists Fellowship
2015 The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, Young Artist Award
2013 International Sculpture Center's Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award

2013 Henry Walters Traveling Fellowship, The Walters Art Museum

Selected Permanent Collections

The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington, DC