Joy Machine is thrilled to present *The Peace of Wild Things*, a duo exhibition by Chicago-based American artist Emmy Star Brown and San Jose-based Korean artist Danym Kwon. This marks Brown’s second exhibition at Joy Machine and Kwon’s third. Inspired by Wendell Berry’s poem, the exhibition explores themes of wonder through complementary artistic practices. For both artists, color and layering serve as tools for self-discovery, tapping into emotions, dreams, and memories that may otherwise remain hidden.
Brown’s work is abstract, featuring riotous geometries of color—magenta, peach, cobalt, and goldenrod—that evoke emotional depth. Her studio practice is described as a space where her inner child emerges, blending playful energy with adolescent imagination. Her compositions often include amorphous forms and clean lines, with lines that resist confinement, appearing to extend beyond the frame. Danym Kwon, in contrast, creates surreal representations of care and domestic life, embedding tiny scenes of family life into folded clothes and bulbous vessels reminiscent of Korean Moon Jars.
These pieces preserve small acts of care, using soft pastel color palettes to convey tenderness toward quiet intimacies. Kwon also draws on his Korean heritage and training in Asian painting traditions, particularly negative space, which informs his work. In the diptych *What We Hold Dear*, he pairs outdoor adventure vignettes with hands cradling small findings, presented in a folding frame inspired by Korean design. Both artists use painting to process the past and imagine the future, fostering presence and sparking wonder and joy. The exhibition runs from August 28 to October 17, 2026, with an opening reception on August 28 from 6 to 8 p.m. where Brown will be present.