Tina Kim Gallery has announced its representation of Lee ShinJa, who helped establish and legitimize fiber art in South Korea. Lee’s first solo exhibition with the gallery will open in New York on August 22nd. This week, Tina Kim will present her work in a solo booth at Art Basel.
Born in Uljin, Korea in 1930, Lee began working in the early 1950s, when textile arts were particularly associated with women and thus overlooked as a serious art form. Lee developed a practice that pushed the boundaries of traditional fiber work, incorporating experimental materials, such as used sweaters and burlap. A founder of the Korean Fiber Artists Association and a retired professor of Duksung Women’s University, Lee has become a major proponent of the craft and textile arts in recent years.
“Lee ShinJa is a true pioneer,” said Tina Kim, founder of the gallery. “She is not only an artist but has had a full career in the field of art—she was an educator and organizer of international exhibitions, serving as a professor, dean, and museum director at Duksung Women’s University. It is so urgent that we recognize her contributions now when she is still living. She is a walking embodiment of history.”
This representation announcement closely follows the artist’s retrospective at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) in Gwacheon, South Korea. Her works are featured in the National Museum of Korea, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, and the Seoul Museum of Art, among others.
