About
Kira Nam Greene’s work explores female sexuality, desire and control through figure and food still-life paintings, surrounded by complex patterns. Imbuing the feminist legacies of Pattern and Decoration Movement with transnational, multicultural motifs, Greene creates colorful paintings that are unique combinations of realism and abstraction, employing diverse media such as oil, acrylic, gouache, watercolor and colored pencil. Combining Pop Art tropes and transnationalism, she also examines the politics of food through the depiction of brand name food products, or junk food. Recently, Greene started a figurative painting series spurred by the 2016 Presidential Election, Women’s March, #metoo movement and ensuing crisis of conscience, this new body of work aspires to present the power of collective action by women.
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Fashioning Identity and Power – Artist Talk at MICA
Monday, September 14, 2026 12:00–1:00 Falvey Hall Programming by MICA Exhibitions and the Painting Department along with the on-campus exhibition DEVOTED: 20 Years of The McMillan-Stewart Endowed Chair in Painting Artist Kira Nam Greene and fashion historian Victoria Pass will be in conversation about the role of fashion, pattern, and art history in Greene’s portrait paintings. Continue reading
Kira Nam Greene – ArtNews Interview
Kira Nam Greene, whose work explores female sexuality, desire and control through figure and food still-life paintings, was a finalist for the inaugural Bennett Prize— a biennial award for women painters working in figurative realism. Continue reading
Park Avenue (by Renée Ahdieh) Cover Art
I’m excited to share that my artwork will appear on the cover of Park Avenue, the upcoming novel by New York Times bestselling author Renée Ahdieh. The book is set to be released on June 3, 2025. It’s a privilege to have my work featured in connection with such a widely anticipated title. Continue reading