Like many major metropolises, Los Angeles is a city brimming with transplants from across the U.S. and around the globe.  Uprooting their familiar lives to move here in search of new opportunities, many find their corner of community and ultimately make L.A. ‘home.’  Yet, for many—especially at first—the transition to Angelino can feel challenging, often marked by an unshakable feeling of being an outsider. Stark contrasts from their hometown, paired with an unfamiliar lifestyle and culture, can create a sense of observing life from a distance, making the concept of “home” feel perpetually just out of reach. This meditative unease and  questioning melancholy—layered with a desire to belong—permeates each of Kevin Yaun’s canvases in In Between Walls.

In his first solo show with Billis Williams Gallery, Yaun delves into our complicated relationship with the feeling of ‘home.’  Originally from Georgia, Yaun’s transient lifestyle has moved him across the United States as well as to international locales in Northern Europe and Southeast Asia. Capitalizing on this experience, his work cautiously examines the elements that make a place feel like home, balancing internal emotions with the way we perceive our surroundings. Each of the fourteen paintings in this intimate exhibition plays with this tension, contrasting interior and exterior spaces, clear window panes with distinct reflections, captivating light set against hazy or deep shadow, and painterly abstract brushstrokes with distinctive land or cityscapes.  Yaun skillfully creates visual barriers—cement walls, imposing hedges, and glass windows—that separate the viewer from a perceived reality just out of reach. This calculated distance allows us to reflect on our own beliefs and perceptions, examining the distance between our sense of belonging and the desire for connection from a safe vantage. 

Though these paintings lack distinctive landmarks, they evoke an unmistakable essence of Los Angeles. Works such as Pacific Coast 35 (2024) and Shiny Objects 1  (2024) capture the vibrancy of west coast sunlight as it transitions from early morning to evening neon, while the iconic three-story hedges in Pacific Coast 27 (2024) bring to mind the defensive walls of a medieval city . Each scene feels precious and personal, as if observed by someone who admires the beauty in simplicity.

One of the most dynamic works in the show, Hillside Glass (2024), is also its most colorful and abstract. Initially presenting a view of a large red building, the composition is interrupted by an ominous reflection from a window behind us that casts a fence-like image over the building, commanding our attention. Its shadowy, thick jagged lines, reminiscent of Abstract Expressionist Clyfford Still’s signature style, become an additional obstacle or distraction that separates us from the outside world. The intense red hue and fervent brushstrokes give the work a more anxious feel, perhaps hinting at doubts creeping in about belonging to this place. As Yaun’s work descends further toward abstraction, with objects blending into fields of color and thicker brushstrokes, the emotional value feels more complex and saturated.

In another standout painting, Pacific Coast 7 (2024), a strong vertical format artfully displays hillside homes in a window-like composition. Here, buildings clustered at the top of the canvas catch golden-hour light, contrasted by an indistinct field of deep indigo below. The floating translucent rectangle at the bottom of the canvas reinforces the window illusion, subtly nodding to Abstract Expressionist Mark Rothko, with his somber color fields, rectilinear forms, and quiet introspection.

Yet, perhaps the most striking art historical parallels to Yaun’s work can be found in the paintings by American Modernist Edward Hopper. Known for his portrayals of New York City’s retail and apartment buildings with distinct light, Hopper’s compositions often peered through residential and storefront windows to highlight the fishbowl-like existence within the city, creating scenes of isolation that capture a soundless solitude. Both Hopper and Yaun explore a psychological connection to observation and solitude in their paintings. The difference in their approaches is subtle: while Hopper documented a (often idealized) sense of detachment amid his home city, Yaun’s work is more introspective, evoking a longing to connect while maintaining a cautious distance.

One might wonder if Yaun considers L.A. to be home yet. His piece At Home (2024) offers some clues. Distinguished by painterly, textured brushstrokes, it depicts a view of a sand-colored neighbor’s wall with a small window. Superimposed on the image is a reflection from another window, showing a silhouette of a small solitary houseplant perched on the sill—a personal touch that instills comfort to the scene. While feeling ‘at home’ is a deeply personal experience, this reflection seems like a subtle reminder of the efforts made to feel at ease in new surroundings.

Overall, Yaun’s work balances abstract forms, technique and hue with intriguing reflections, creating an ideal vehicle for channeling our often contradictory inner thoughts about belonging. His scenes create safe vantage points to observe and invite viewers to contemplate their desired sense of place and home through gently placed barriers.  Though early in his career, the artist certainly feels at home as a pensive observer with brush in hand.  Looking forward to seeing how his work evolves, and curious to see if he decides to call L.A. home.

Kevin Yaun: In Between Walls
JOctober 12 – Nov 9, 2024
Billis Williams Gallery
2716 S La Cienega Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90012