Korean-American artist Wendy Park presents a series of new work in a solo exhibition at Various Small Fires in Los Angeles. Off The Clock features ten paintings and an augmented reality experience that reimagines intimate memories from Park’s childhood.

Influenced by memories of her childhood in L.A. in the 1980s and 90s, growing up as the daughter of Korean immigrants, her highly stylised canvases bring into focus the familial routines of her parents as working-class vendors in Southern California’s indoor commerce culture.

Park’s vibrant paintings portray everyday objects like a jar of Tiger Balm next to a cash register, or a bottle of soju beside loose lemons. By depicting familiar yet ordinary objects, Park reflects on the moments of rest her parents caught between their busy workdays.

The artist’s colourful compositions capture the importance of memory and the ways in which it can be used to commemorate familial figures and alter our perception of the everyday.

Park studied her BFA at the Otis College of Art and Design in LA. Her work has been featured in exhibitions at various galleries and arts institutions including Bill Brady Gallery in Miami, Kantor Gallery in Los Angeles, and Over The Influence Gallery in Seoul.

Park lives and works in Los Angeles, California.

Main image: Wendy Park, Tiger Balm Register (2022) (detail). Acrylic on canvas. 182.9 x 152.4 cm. Courtesy Various Small Fires.