Artist Panel: Portrait Mode

When composing and painting portraits of family, friends, muses, and of herself, Jiab Prachakul mines her own personal experiences, touching on places lived, memories, family photos, film references, and dreams.

In conjunction with Prachakul’s exhibition Sweet Solitude, we’re thrilled to host a panel with Texas-based artists working in portraiture – each pulling from their own distinct perspectives and influences from fashion, identity, self-image, and fantasy. Panelists include Tsz Kam, Jieun Beth Kim, Dawn Okoro, and Alexandra Valenti. The conversation will be moderated by Curator of Public Programs, Emmy Laursen.

The conversation will delve into each of their bodies of work individually, as well as collectively for a deeper understanding of how portraiture functions in contemporary practice. Seating in the community room and light refreshments will open at 6P. Feel free to arrive early and view our exhibitions on view and grab a seat. The conversation will start close to 6:30P and will be followed by a public Q&A.

Event is included with the price of general admission. Members, log in with your Member ID to reserve free museum admission and event tickets online or present your ID when purchasing tickets at the event to access discounted pricing.

About the Exhibitions

Jiab Prachakul: Sweet Solitude comprises a selection of paintings from the past five years, presented in a sequence that loosely mirrors Prachakul’s own journey as an artist. Having lived in Europe for much of her adult life, her paintings are often inflected with her desire for connection amidst a feeling of displacement, a sense of romantic longing pervading throughout. 

Raven Halfmoon: Flags of Our Mothers. Raven Halfmoon’s (b. 1991, Caddo Nation; lives and works in Norman, Oklahoma) touring solo exhibition will span both of The Contemporary Austin’s sites with an indoor exhibition at the Jones Center and an outdoor sculpture, Flagbearer, which will be installed at the museum’s Laguna Gloria location in mid-February. 

HOST: Tenant of Culture presents newly commissioned works by Hendrickje Schimmel alongside a selection of recent works in an installation that explores the tension between seductive, consumer-facing displays and spaces less visible in the fashion industry, such as production factories and fulfillment centers. 

About the Panelists

 
ALEXANDRA VALENTI

Alexandra Valenti lives and works in Austin, TX. Born in Washington DC, Valenti received her BA in Art History from UC Berkeley. She was a commercial photographer for over 15 years. However, during the beginning of pandemic Valenti turned to painting, giving up her photographer career to become a full-time artist. Since that time, she has had solo shows at Mclennon Penn Co and work included in The Contemporary Austin Art Dinner Austin this past October.

 
TSZ KAM

Tsz Kam was born in colonial Hong Kong in the early 90s and grew up in the post colonial period till their teenage years when they moved to Texas. Kam is interested in studying ornamental and decorative motifs from various cultures and how notions of beauty are transformed through different cultural lenses. Using both the perspectives of an insider and an outsider, Kam reestablishes a sense of belonging through their works.

Kam obtained a BFA in Studio Art from University of Texas at Austin in 2011. Kam’s work has been exhibited across Texas in cities such as Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and El Paso. Kam’s latest mural work is part of Meow Wolf’s latest location in Grapevine, Texas.

 
DAWN OKORO

Dawn Okoro’s passion for portraiture began with flipping through fashion magazines as a child, where glossy images of striking photography became her window to the world. Her paintings are influenced by fashion visuals, punk, and hip-hop.

Okoro is an alum of the Contemporary Austin Crit Group. She has collaborated with Pepsi and her work has been on set for productions at NBC, Sony Pictures and HBO. She is featured in Architectural Digest, Hyperallergic and W Magazine. Her work is collected internationally and has been exhibited at Christie’s New York and Maddox Gallery in London which represents her. Okoro’s permanent art installation “The Liberty Vault” is on view at Meow Wolf Houston.

 
JIEUN BETH KIM

Jieun Beth (b. 1987, Texas) is a multidisciplinary visual artist, educator, curator, and entrepreneur based in Austin, TX. Her experiences across Western and Eastern cultures have deeply influenced her exploration of identity and connection through creative practice. Over two decades of research, Jieun Beth has drawn from fields such as science, philosophy, and psychology to embrace multidimensional identity and inspire harmony in her roles as a teacher and community leader. A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design (BFA, Painting) and the University of Texas at Austin (MFA, Studio Art), she has exhibited her work nationally and internationally, including a solo exhibition at Austin Central Library (2023) and participation in an art fair in Seoul, South Korea (2024).