This Triptych by Charles Kay Jr. is located in the UNL Westbrook Music Building, on the first floor.
Charles Kay Jr. is a first generation Thai-American born artist. His parents immigrated from Thailand in 1966 to attend university. Charles was born and raised in Omaha, NE. In 1992 Charles graduated from Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA.
He has lived in Los Angeles, Paris, Minneapolis and New York before moving back to Omaha in 1996. His work has been exhibited at the Denver International Airport, The Center for Fine Art Fort Collins, Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, The Anne Reed Gallery, Gilman Contemporary, Clic Gallery and Nelson Macker Fine Art. Awards include The Hasselblad Award, American Photography Artist Showcase, Pilsner Urquell International Photography Award, Aperture West Book Prize and Prixe de la Photographie.
Charles has been known for his black and white architectural series titled Paris Still Lifes which is included in the Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Centers permanent collection. From October 2022 - May 2023 he exhibited “UNSEEN - Emerging from the Currents of Assimilation” at the KANEKO Museum in Omaha NE.
Color Field is a deeply personal, ongoing body of work that began in 2024 during a period of emotional upheaval and self-discovery. The series reflects a search for clarity and renewal without relying on defined space, structure, or narrative.
These works are built through color alone. Each composition is an interaction of hues—layered, blended, and allowed to exist without constraint. In removing form, color becomes both the subject and the language, creating an experience that is instinctual rather than prescribed.
