Lee Ko
Heritage: South Korean
Lee Ko was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1976. She earned her initial BFA and MFA degrees in Seoul, South Korea. Later, she embarked on a passionate journey to study across the ocean at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, where she earned her second MFA. Her education and experience from the different environments in both East and West greatly impacted her art and her life in various ways, and she tries to introduce her aesthetic value across cultures. She currently resides in Waxhaw, NC, with her husband and four children.
Lee’s artistic Journey evolved by working with various mediums, including metal, clay, and reclaimed materials.
She spreads small units on the panel/wall in a rhythmical variation to complete her wall sculptures.
In her recent body of work, she found various materials sourced from her daily life, such as glass bottles, sauce jars, and electrical cords. Combining these elements with clay pieces, she builds a composition of small individual units that culminate in a unified whole on the wall, like a quilt. Through her art, Lee tries to tell us the power of ordinary things when they come together and how they can become part of something greater and support each other as a unit in a whole.
All images © Lee Ko
“Life is like a quilt, so is my art.”