Lee Sora South Korean, b. 1967
"I love how small fabric scraps—including discarded ones—can be continuously stitched together to create something entirely new. Another aspect I appreciate is that I can work from home, allowing me to balance my role as an artist with being a wife and mother."
Textile artist Lee So-ra reinterprets ‘Jogakbo’, the traditional Korean patchwork crafted from segments of salvaged fabrics, as a medium for contemporary artworks. Informed by her studies in German literature and her affinity with the early modernist art movement, Lee integrates these influences into her compositions of lines and shapes. Her pieces evoke abstracted architectural forms and the intricate designs found in stained glass. This juxtaposes with her mastery of traditional hand-stitching techniques and use of delicate, unassuming materials.
Using natural Osaka silk known for its subtle hues and translucent texture, her works posses a gentle, ethereal quality. While some pieces are left untouched to preserve their raw state, for others Lee uses homegrown botanicals to dye the textiles, resulting in a serene colour palette across her works. Following multiple dyeing sessions, she meticulously cuts the fabric into small segments and treats them with rice starch. Each fragment undergoes an intricate double-hemming process, uniquely hers, before being intricately sewn together to form her expansive artworks. She arranges the fragments spontaneously, allowing her intuition to guide the creation of geometric patterns. Employing her precise ‘Saamssol'stitching technique, the level of detail can only be fully appreciated up close.
The elegance of her work comes from its restraint and refinement. This quiet serenity is inherent in her processes, beginning with the careful preparation of materials through repeated hand washing to maintain their pristine quality, and extending to countless days of tranquil labor, stitching in solitude. For her, the process of making has a meditative quality, fostering purity of thought and mind; this can be felt when experiencing her work.
Public Collection (selected)
The Honolulu Museum of Art, Hawaii, USA
The Museum of Vancouver, Vancouver, Canada
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Heritage as Subject
Asian Art in London 1 - 5 Nov 2025Lloyd Choi Gallery makes its debut at Asian Art in London with Heritage as Subject , presented at Sotheby’s Conduit Street Gallery. The exhibition explores one of the central questions...Read more -
Sounds of Spring
Dandi Battersea, London 11 Apr - 10 May 2025Preview: 6-8pm, 10th April Venue: Dandi Battersea, Haydon Way, London SW11 1YF Opening Hours: Monday to Friday, 11am–6pm (Weekends by appointment) Sounds of Spring is a sensory-led exhibition that reflects...Read more -
Collect
Somerset House, London 28 Feb - 2 Mar 2025Lloyd Choi Gallery at Collect 2025 Lloyd Choi Gallery is proud to present a curated selection of works by seven exceptional Korean artists, each showcasing the rich heritage and innovative...Read more -
Guided by Nature
Collaboration with Cox London 7 - 17 Oct 2024A synergistic exhibition showcasing the finest South Korean craftmanship from Gallery Lloyd Choi, set against the backdrop of Cox London’s nature-inspired, sculptural collection of lighting, furniture, and objects. This partnership...Read more -
Hidden Gem
Cromwell Place, London 15 - 19 May 2024Often, beauty is discovered in the simplicity and serenity of small details. It exists in the nuances of craftsmanship and the precision of execution. ‘Hidden Gem’ presents Korean artists who...Read more -
Collect
Somerset House, London 1 - 3 Mar 2024At Collect 2024, Lloyd Choi Gallery presents ‘Understatement ’, a highly curated presentation of works by nine Korean craft practitioners to mark the 20th anniversary of the international art fair...Read more -
Lost in Tradition
Cromwell Place, London 19 - 24 Oct 2023'Lost in Tradition' features artists working with the traditional mediums of ceramics, metal, mother-of-pearl, textiles, wood, and antique furniture. Many are represented in internationally renowned museum collections, including maker of...Read more -
Untold Beauty
Cromwell Place, London 16 - 24 Sep 2023Untold Beauty draws on a distinctive period in Korean craftsmanship refined during the Joseon dynasty (est 14c). Presenting works by contemporary practitioners, it explores the current return to Joseon’s contemplative...Read more -
Collect
Somerset House, London 1 - 5 Mar 2023For Collect 2023, Lloyd Choi Gallery will focus on the new generation of ceramic artists and introduce two European- based Korean artists, exhibiting in London for the first time. Yusun...Read more -
Korean Blue
Cromwell Place, London 2 - 6 Nov 2022Unlike Yves Klein, the colour blue was a hue that meant home to the pioneering Korean painter Kim Whan-gi who moved to Paris in the 1950s and became the father...Read more -
Silent Mind
Cromwell Place, London 14 - 25 Sep 2022The exhibition title reflects the calm and mindful status of the craft-artists Lloyd Choi Gallery works with, whose practices are hands-on and materials-led. These Korean artists and makers, working with...Read more -
Collect
Somerset House, London 23 - 27 Feb 2022It is delightful to return to the international art fair, Collect at Somerset House in London. Alongside exciting new works by thirteen established Korean artists, Lloyd Choi Gallery is thrilled...Read more -
Artefact
Chelsea Harbour, London 22 - 29 Jun 2021It is thrilled to announce our participation at ARTEFACT, a new contemporary craft fair launching this summer at Design Centre , Chelsea Harbour. The gallery will present eight Korean established...Read more -
Material Dialogue
Jeju Island, South Korea 27 Feb - 15 Mar 2021Material Dialogue explores the conversations in craft: those between artist and materials, the materials themselves and between tradition and contemporary practice. In the realm of Korean tradition, the mastering of...Read more -
Collect
Online art fair 24 Feb - 2 Mar 2021For Collect 2021 online art fair, the gallery will present eleven Korean master craftsmen and established artists who are working with ceramics, metal, mother of pearl, natural lacquer, silver and...Read more -
Collect
Somerset House, London 27 Feb 2020 - 1 Mar 2021Lloyd Choi Gallery is thrill to launch at Collect and will present Korean contemporary artists who are crossingdisciplines of architecture, craft, design, fine art, painting, sculpture and textile to create...Read more