Kwon Ji-an (; born 30 September 1984), commonly known by her stage name Solbi (), is a South Korean singer, painter, and television personality. She made her singing debut in 2006 as a member of the K-pop group Typhoon, and gained widespread fame in 2008 as a cast member of the variety show We Got Married. She held her first solo exhibition as a painter in 2012. As an artist she presents a wide range of works including painting, sculpture, installation, performance art, and video art. She is an all-round artist active as a singer, television personality, visual artist, and writer.
She made her debut as the main vocalist of the representative K-pop hybrid group Typhoon in 2006 and also released her solo album ' Do It ' in 2008. In the same year, she also received attention in plays and musicals. Since then, she has been releasing music and music albums every year.
Aside from her music career, Solbi has also achieved fame as a television host on MBC, in the shows Sang Sang Plus (season 2) (alongside Lee Hyori and Shin Jung-hwan) and Music Core with Big Bang members Seung Ri and Dae Sung from March 2008 to March 2009, later replaced by Tiffany and Yuri of Girls' Generation. In February 2008, Solbi was cast in the reality show We Got Married, where celebrities are paired up to live together as newlyweds. Solbi was paired up with Hong Kyeong Min for the Lunar Special episode, but for the rest of the series her partner was Andy of Shinhwa.
On 19 June 2008 Solbi released her first solo digital single, titled 'Cute Love', the lyrics in which she composed herself. The song is used as Andy and Solbi's theme song for the show. On 15 July 2008 she recorded a Korean version of 'Way Back into Love' from the 2007 movie Music and Lyrics with Kim Jong Wook. Solbi's first mini album titled 'Do It, Do It' was released on 17 September 2008. Her second album, titled <nowiki/>'French Kiss' was released on 16 April 2009.
Solbi appeared as one of the main MCs for Infinite Girls (season 2), but later stepped down, citing scheduling conflicts with her upcoming album. She participated program named Infinite Challenge in October 2015.
In 2017, she was appointed as an ambassador for the Central Election Commission. She was also a special guest teacher in Idol School, as a Psychological Health Management teacher using art therapy, the same outlet for herself when she was struggling.
Solbi fully immersed herself in art, which she began in 2010 as a form of healing, and has since developed her abilities as a painter. She held her first solo exhibition in 2012.
Beginning in 2015 she introduced a working method she calls âÂÂself-collaboration.â The self-collaboration series comprises seven works: Trace â Daydream (2015), Black Swan (2016), Fiction & Non Fiction (presented at the Jikji Korea International Festival, 2016), Hyperism-Red (2017), Hyperism-Blue (2018), Hyperism-Violet (2019), and La nuit Blanche Paris â Violet.
Notably, Hyperism-Red, which centers on womenâÂÂs wounds, shockingly staged a bold âÂÂRedâ performance on KBS 2TV 'Music Bank. In late 2018 she took an unusual approach by releasing the track âÂÂClass upâ from Hyperism-Blue exclusively on her personal YouTube channel.
From late 2018 she actively pursued overseas exhibitions and tours. As a first step, in March 2019 she held a pop-up exhibition at Street Dream Gallery in Paris together with first-generation French street artist BANGGA. Following increased attention to Kwon Ji-anâÂÂs (SolbiâÂÂs) working method, she received numerous invitations; she was selected as a participating artist for the international art festival âÂÂ2019 La nuit blanche PARISâ in October 2019, marking a milestone in her international career. She also performed a painting performance at the opening of the 2019 Gwangju Media Art Festival held at the Asia Culture Center in Gwangju â the first time a popular entertainer had performed on that stage.
In June 2019 she began her first overseas exhibition tour from Korea. She held her solo exhibition Real Reality: Uncomfortable Truth at Insa Art Center in Seoul, her first solo show in three years, and engaged in dialogue with visitors.
In December 2021 she received the top prize, the âÂÂGlobal Artist Award,â at the Premi Internacional dâÂÂArt de Barcelona (PIAB21). Although the award sparked controversy, some critics defended the decision, arguing that an artistâÂÂs value should be judged by function rather than status.
In May 2022 she presented Systemic Language: Humming in New Jersey, USA, where she sublimated derisive online comments such as âÂÂCan she even paint an apple?â into her Apple series, receiving high praise. Jeannie Brasile, director and critic at the Seton Hall University Museum, praised the work: âÂÂSometimes a cake is not a cake, an apple is not an apple, and a pop star can be a good artist.âÂÂ
In September 2022 her solo exhibition Humming Paradise at the Print Bakery in the Vista Walkerhill Hotel received favorable reviews. More recently, she has focused on the Just A Cake series â works that emphasize the material properties of paraffin â which also garnered positive critical reception. The Humming and Apple series introduced at that exhibition were likewise well received.
Solbi uses art to process pain from cyberbullying. In a 2023 Voice of America documentary "Painting through pain" produced by Komeil Soheili, Solbi says: "In 2011, fake videos of me were distributed online, [...] At that time, many malicious comments were directed at me. And at some point, my persona became very shameful. [...] [Cyberbullying] is like a pack of wolves attacking one woman." Solbi said of her Solbi RED performance painting, "Through the performance, I wanted to box up the pain, move on, and live my life again."
She has continued to present high-quality works through solo shows, group exhibitions, and curated projects. In 2025 she held a solo exhibition at Tilsitt Gallery in Porto, Portugal, an invitational show organized by the gallery.
On March 8, 2022, Solbi donated million to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association to help those affected by the massive wildfires that started in Uljin, Gyeongbuk. and also spread to Samcheok, Gangwon.
In May 2022, Solbi donated 10 million won to the orphanage on Children's Day and Mother's Day By donating on 29 April 2022.