Maria Yoon was born in Seoul, South Korea. Since her graduation from Cooper Union with a BFA she has lived and worked in New York City. When not creating art, she is a Senior Educator at New York’s largest and most prestigious museum of art.

Drawing inspiration from both the Manhattan melting pot experience and her deep Korean cultural roots, her work has become a symbolic manifestation of the often fragmented fusion inevitably created when conflicting cultures collide.

Originally a painter, in the last decade her work has become increasing multi-media and performance oriented, relying on film and live performances. Her most recent project “Maria The Korean Bride” explores the social pressure and conflict for first generation Asian American women.

Maria the Korean Bride has been funded in part by the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, NYC Cultural Affairs, Asian Women Giving Circle and Franklin Furnace to name a few. Her on-going journey across America has received much attention especially with Koreans and other Asian American communities in New York, as well as institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is one of their annual guest lecturers and performance artists. For more information please visit www.mariathekoreanbride.com/.