Hyemin Lee

Hyemin Lee is well-known for her intricate series of small fabric pillows made from traditional Korean Hanbok materials, hand-stitched to evoke personal memories, dreams, and hopes. The vibrant arrangement of pillows represents the tangled web of emotions, experiences, and relationships inherent in life itself. Her other series 'Waves' consists of works made from plaster bandages shaped into undulating lace-like waves, revitalizing materials once considered trivial and imperfect. Her pieces, often inspired by physical and emotional experiences, utilize materials reminiscent of fragility and vulnerability, such as worn fabric, broken wooden frames, and medical plaster bandages.

Lee's practice begins with an exploration of everyday objects, drawing ceaseless inspiration from seemingly mundane dialogues with them. A true interdisciplinary artist with a background in sculpture, painting, video art, and music, Lee is not confined to a single medium, allowing her to experiment with various forms and techniques. In her recent works, she employs plaster bandages, a material that is flexible when wet but becomes strong and resistant once dry, to create an illusion of fragile waves that are, in reality, calm yet powerful. Her work conveys that softness does not equate to weakness.