Inside Kevin’s Studio: Where Light, Texture, and Experimentation Converge
The rain patters gently outside, the kind of day that makes staying inside feel like a gift rather than a compromise. The shared workspace of Kevin Yaun and Piper Bangs is alive with ideas, experimentation, and the unmistakable scent of oil paint and wood shavings. Nestled among other active contemporary artists, their studio hums with the energy of ongoing experimentation, technical rigor, and conceptual depth.
Kevin Yaun in front of some paintings in progress
Kevin’s latest body of work exudes a meticulous attention to craftsmanship, materiality, and texture. Using jute and canvas drop cloths sourced from Home Depot, he constructs his paintings with a raw, tactile quality that heightens their visual complexity. He even builds his own stretcher bars, assembling frames from humble Home Depot wood, reinforcing the domestic and industrial themes that subtly underpin his practice. The result is a surface that is both rough and deliberate, each fiber and weave playing into the larger composition of the piece. His walnut frames, warm and rich in tone, act as both a boundary and an extension of his paintings—crafted with the same care as the work itself.
Kevin’s approach to the figure is one of distortion, where semblances of shapes communicate narratives more powerfully than precise representations. Figures dissolve into abstracted gestures, yet their presence is undeniable, evoking emotion and movement through minimal yet intentional mark-making. This abstraction lends itself to an existential exploration of perception, recalling postmodern philosophical ideas—Jean Baudrillard’s theories on simulation and reality or Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. Kevin harnesses digital tools like Blender to render compositions, creating unexpected distortions that he then translates into paint. His process is an interplay between the digital and the physical, between control and chance.
Two of his latest paintings will be featured in a group show, “Fragments,” curated by Carl Larsson, opening Friday, February 21st, a testament to the strength of this new series. The anticipation builds as the works take shape, layers accumulate, details emerge, and the compositions reach a state of refined ambiguity. Seeing them in person, their tactility is undeniable—a quality that images alone cannot capture.
Beyond the work itself, Kevin and Piper’s shared studio is a space of collaboration and mutual influence. Their differing conceptual approaches inform one another’s practices in subtle yet profound ways. While Kevin leans into material experimentation and structured composition, Piper brings a contrasting sensibility that challenges and expands their shared understanding of form and narrative.
Hillside 4, 2024, oil on canvas, 48 × 48 inches
As our conversation wound down, we reflected on the nature of post-grad studio life—the necessity of balance, the challenge of sustaining momentum, and the adaptation required when the constant critiques of academia are no longer present. Kevin spoke about the initial rush of unstructured time, the excitement of endless studio hours, and the realization that breaks are necessary to maintain longevity in the practice.
With that in mind, Kevin’s work continues to evolve, striking a balance between rigor and intuition, materiality and philosophy, figuration and abstraction. This latest series, with its exploration of fragmented perception and homegrown craftsmanship, is a compelling step forward—one that we’ll soon see on the walls of a gallery in just a few days.
