3 Emerging Artists With Must-See Shows to See This Fall

Some artists approach painting like a marathon, others like a sprint. Julia Jo somehow does both. Only a few years out of art school, the energetic Seoul-born, Brooklyn-based painters committed to a whopping three solo shows in 2023. After buzzy outings at Charles Moffett in New York and James Fuentes in Los Angeles, the final presentation is set to open in September at Jessica Silverman Gallery in San Francisco.

Like the artist herself, Jo's paintings appear to be in constant motion. At first glance they look like swirling all-over abstractions. But take a step back, or peer at an angle, and the outline of a figure comes into focus. In an art world that has become saturated with straightforward figurative portraits, Jo's elusive perspective feels fresh. Her work has already been scooped up by the likes of Morgan Stanley, mega collectors Komal Shah and Gaurav Garg, and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami.

Jo's influences range from Rubens's Baroque takes on Greek mythology to Cecily Brown's brushy scenes of bacchanalia. "I'm interested in the visualization of drama," Jo says. "I might start with five different figures-one falling asleep, one on the floor. But maybe it's actually just one figure, and you've had one too many drinks and your world is spinning."

Jo recently moved into a new studio, a 2,200-square-foot former carriage house, where she can work on as many as 25 canvases at once. (She lives one floor up, a commute that enables her to maximize time spent painting.) "I like to touch every single one when I'm in the studio," she says. "I'm so eager to keep pushing."