Lee ShinJa (b. 1930) is a pioneering first-generation Korean fiber artist and educator. During the 1950s and 60s, when working with thread and fabric was considered domestic labor, Lee broke new ground in the evolution of applied arts in Korea. Against the conventions of traditional craft, she experimented with modern formal techniques, driving innovations in embroidery, dyeing, weaving, and tapestry to expand the breadth and depth of the genre, which at the time was still unestablished.

After earning her BFA from Seoul National University in 1955, Lee’s work shifted boldly toward abstraction. She employed wax-resist dye and contemporary embroidery techniques to fragment shapes and emphasize texture, creating compositions that broke away from the constraints of traditional textile work. In the 1960s, as dyed craft began to gain prominence while traditional embroidery declined, Lee presented modernized compositions that reflected her formal experimentation and conceptual innovation.

Portrait of My Daughter (1961), a key work from this early period modeled after her second daughter, broke with conventional embroidery through its semi-abstract depiction of a face and hands. A central circular motif anchors the composition, suggesting an eye rendered through concentric stitched lines in blues and greens. Surrounding this focal point, sweeping curves and flowing lines in varied threads evoke hair and facial contours, while gestural marks and linear elements define hands and body forms. The work exemplifies Lee’s innovative approach to portraiture in textile art, transforming embroidery’s traditional decorative function into a medium for modern artistic expression.