Nina Jun is a sculptor and installation artist who was born in Korea and moved to America in her early 20s.She studied at California State University, Long Beach, CA and graduated with an MFA in Sculpture in 2002. Nina’s concept of art evolved over her lifetime. At first influenced by her identity as a Korean, Jun began to explore global symbols of happiness, leading her to her mylar balloons. Jun’s fascination of her ceramic balloons, which contain both forces of levity and gravity, keeps her interested in continuing to work on transforming these disposable objects into permanent works of art that provides an endless possibility of visual expression. The patterns and motifs on her ceramic balloons parallel cosmology and other cosmic images. Jun’s use of polka dots, butterflies, and flower patterns could symbolize galaxies, constellations, orbits, and other awe-inspiring concepts like supernovae and newly discovered superclusters in the Universe. Recently, Nina has completed a ceramic balloons commission for Hello Kitty in Sanrio, Japan for the 40th Anniversary of Hello Kitty. Her work is also included in the Hello! Exploring Supercute World of Hello Kitty Exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, CA.Nina had been invited twice to attend the National Council for Education of Ceramic Arts (NCECA) for its conventions in Portland, OR and Kansas City, MO. Jun has had 12 solo shows and numerous group shows including 18 international art fairs. Her works have been published in Sculpture Magazine; the Los Angeles Times; Korea Monthly Ceramics; Ceramics Review, London; Sculptures Pacific Magazine, Canada; Design Amid Magazine and Designboom: Architecture, Art & Design, Italy. “I’m interested in pursuing the idea that Divine perfection exists in life’s most simple, unadorned and uncontrolled forms, such as the beautiful objects that inspire me.” - Nina Jun