New Women New Yorkers Artist Residency Presents ‘STRAY GRAVITY,’ a solo exhibition by Yooyeon Nam

September 19 – 27, 2026

New Women New Yorkers Artist Residency, 410A Colonels Row, Governors Island

Opening Reception: Sat, Sep 19, 1–5pm

Mirror Chain/ 거울연쇄, 2026, Oil on canvas, 30 x 72 inches

In Stray Gravity, Yooyeon Nam expands her practice into multi-figure compositions through her original characters, tracing a broad spectrum of human connections—from immediate, intimate relationships to a quiet empathy for unknown strangers across history. Through dense, interconnected scenes, Nam maps chain-like human networks, depicting how individual affect and shared memories ripple across personal lives and collective experience.

Central to her visual language are noseless, expressionless figures inspired by the serene forms of traditional Korean Buddhist sculpture. Where wings appear on these characters, they function not as symbols of divinity or heroic salvation, but as markers of ordinary difference; their winged forms embody raw human vulnerability and a conscious, ongoing effort toward solidarity. Even in works featuring only a single figure or pair, the emotional resonance expands far beyond personal isolation. A subtle bond or a quiet stillness becomes an echo chamber for what remains outside the frame: lost times, unwritten histories, and the weight of an absent presence, along with forgotten memories.

This thematic depth is rooted in Nam’s tactile relationship with her medium. Working in oil on gritty pastel grounds with long-haired Egbert brushes, she engages in a physical negotiation with the canvas—a delicate balance between gestural spontaneity and structured control. 

Coupled with a vibrant, high-chroma palette and dense spatial layering, Nam’s paintings refuse passive comfort, inviting viewers to inhabit the subtle tensions of connection and recognize the invisible threads that bind us across time and space.

- Title: STRAY GRAVITY

- Artist: Yooyeon Nam

- Dates: September 19-27, 2026

- Opening Reception: Saturday, September 19, 1:00 – 5:00 pm

- Artist Talk: Saturday, September 26, 2:00 – 4:00pm (Moderated by Nuohan Jiang)

- Closing Reception: Sunday, September 27, 1:00 – 5:00pm

- Location: New Women New Yorkers Artist Residency, 410A Colonels Row, Governors

Island, NY

- Gallery Hours: Sat–Sun 11am–5pm / Mon–Fri by appointment