Tina Kim Gallery is pleased to announce our participation in this year’s edition of ADAA: The Art Show with a solo presentation dedicated to the pioneering Korean artist Lee ShinJa (b. 1930). Known for her highly intricate, monumental tapestries and her innovative contributions to fiber and textile art, Lee’s career spans over five decades, during which she expanded the possibilities of Korean craft through the integration of unconventional materials and techniques.
Our presentation will focus on works produced between 1994 and the 2000s, a pivotal period in Lee’s career when she began experimenting with metal elements in her tapestries. These elements, often functioning as frames or windows, open new perspectives within her abstracted depictions of natural landscapes. These works are deeply influenced by the light, atmosphere, and natural forms of the sea, mountains, and forests from her hometown, Uljin, in Gyeongsangbuk-do, as well as the artist’s internal emotional landscape. As Lee explains, “The seascape I saw off the coast of Uljin as a child, and the spiritual energy brimming in the mountains I climbed while holding my father’s hand, were saturated with everything, from the sound of waves, to light, memories, love, and parting.”
Lee ShinJa’s contributions to the field of fiber art are profound, and her impact on Korean art history is widely recognized. After graduating from the Department of Applied Fine Arts at Seoul National University in 1955, she earned her master’s degree from the Graduate School of Industrial Arts at Hongik University in 1974. Her academic career included a long tenure as professor at Duksung Women’s University (1966-1997), where she also served as director of the Duksung Women’s University Museum of Art (1973-1994), focusing on the preservation of Korea’s vanishing craft traditions. In 1979, she founded the Korea Design Association, serving as its vice president until 1983.
Recently, Lee was the subject of a major retrospective exhibition, Lee ShinJa: Threadscapes, held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Gwacheon, South Korea, from September 2023 to February 2024, further affirming her place in the canon of contemporary art.
We invite you to visit Booth A25 at the Park Avenue Armory from October 29 – November 2, 2024, to experience this exceptional selection of works firsthand.
