Related Art

You can transform hanji in many ways with traditional, contemporary, and hybrid techniques rooted in Korean and East Asian methods. The ones I use and teach the most are jiseung (paper basketry), joomchi (texturing and fusing paper), natural dyes, and shifu (a Japanese word for “paper cloth” that includes paper thread making and loom weaving).

Articles by Aimee

Full of Themselves: My Artists’ Books

My Hands are Listening: Thoughts on Transforming Paper into Textile

Cultivating Hanji in America

Jiseung: A Journey into the Korean Art of Weaving Paper

Articles about Aimee

The New York Times Martha Schwendener, “Highlights From Asia Week”

“Special Report: 태평양을 건너간 천년 한지, 에이미 리,” Hanji Culture and Industry Center

South Florida Times Nicole White, “Gallery Adds Caribbean Twist to Art Basel”

Description of Peculiar & Commonplace artists’ book

Amalia Donastorg, “Orange Art Center Presents eegut juhgut,” CAN Journal, Fall 2018

Woven Paper! Meet Aimee Lee

Zoneone Arts

paper, paper, fabulous paper

Korean Paper Art with Aimee Lee

Alchemy, Seed, Silk, Stem, Leaf – Art of Aimee Lee

Aimee Lee interview, Scripps College Book Arts

Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator interviews artist Aimee Lee

an interview with hanji artist Aimee Lee

Videos

Jiseung: Korean paper basketry

Jiseung is the process of cording and twining hanji (Korean paper) by a master weaver, Na Seo Hwan. He is a 3rd-generation master who learned from his father, who learned from his grandfather. He has also developed a more effective and efficient way of cording paper, which is different from the way most jiseung artists work. This ancient paper craft, known formally as noyeokgae, still exists in Korea today but the intense labor, time, and strength required for it means that very few masters remain, and even fewer serious disciples.

BIMA Every Day & Special Days – Artist’s Books Unshelved

In this new episode of Artist’s Books Unshelved, “Every Day & Special Days,” we take a look at works by artists Deborah Greenwood and Aimee Lee that are featured in BIMA’s current artist’s book exhibition Every Day & Special Days.

One Artist’s Audacious Pursuit of Traditional Korean Hanji

Korea has a saying, “Good silk lasts 100 years, good hanji lasts 1,000 years.” Hanji, a special paper, is made through a complex, centuries-old process that using paper mulberry bark. Aimee Lee, a Korean-American artist, received a Fulbright fellowship to learn the craft in Korea and learned from master hanji-maker Jang Seong-woo. Her perseverance, audacity and aptness for hanji impressed him so much that he now refers to Lee as a colleague. Today, she’s the leading hanji maker and weaver in the US and has dedicated her career to teaching others these ancient Korean practices.

Winter Term: Papermaking at Oberlin

Aimee Lee ’99 teaches current Oberlin students different areas of paper and book making over the course of Winter Term.

Creative Voice Korean Art Workshop

Michigan-based journalist Jennifer Conlin (New York Times, Time, Rolling Stone, New York Magazine) conceived of Creative Voice as a response to the reduction of arts and cultural journalistic coverage and criticism by traditional media. Creative Voice is produced by Artrain whose mission is to deliver discovery and – through the galvanizing power of arts and culture – transform lives, organizations and communities.

Podcasts

DIY Oberlin Part II

In her second episode with Aimee, Abby Aresty visits Aimee’s studio for DIY Oberlin on WOBC 90.5, August 22, 2023. This studio visit ranges from beating pulp and pulling European-style sheets, to bark lace printed hanbok, bark thread work in progress, paper bricks, dyeing with coreopsis, and much more.

 

Paper Talk podcast interview

Artist Aimee Lee is the author of Hanji Unfurled: One Journey into Korean Papermaking, newly published by The Legacy Press. She built the first Hanji studio in North America at the Morgan Conservatory in Cleveland, Ohio.

Photo Albums

Bamboo blinds in Tongyeong: Jo Dae-yong studios

Multiple studio visits during introduction and study with Korean national ICPH of bamboo blind making (yeomjang) in Tongyeong in 2021.

Bamboo blinds in Tongyeong: Jo Dae-yong studios

Park Seong-chun, bamboo screen maker

Park Seong-chun 박선춘 is the South Jeolla Provincial ICPH of bamboo blind making (jukryeom) and he resides in Damyang, a longtime Korean area for growing and selling bamboo. 16 Mar 2021.

Park Seong-chun, bamboo screen maker, 2021

 

Making bark lace, prints, and dresses

In 2023 on sabbatical, I finally got the time to experiment with printing large pieces of bark lace, bark grids, bark thread, all made from the inner bast fiber of the paper mulberry tree. I used these black and white prints to construct a dozen dresses. The bark dress is the matrix for two other dresses, pressure and ghost printed. All prints made at Zygote Press in Cleveland, Ohio.

Making bark lace, prints, and dresses

Jeonju hanji in Spring 2021

Various hanji locations, events, info. Jeonju 2021.

Spring hanji in Jeonju 2021

Jeonju Paper Umbrellas 2021

A visit to Jeolla Provincial ICH in paper umbrella making, Yoon Gyu-sang and his son. Jeonju, April 16, 2021.

Large umbrella detail

Fans in Jeonju 2021

Jeonju has at least three fan centers; these are images from the Jeonju Hanok Maeul Fan Museum and the Jeonju Fan Culture Center. April–May 2021.

Fans in Jeonju 2021

Natural Dyeing in Seoul

After meeting Lee Myung Sun in Seoul, I studied natural dyeing from him and his wife, who run a dyeing and clothing shop. He had learned traditional dyeing techniques from women living in villages in the Korean mountains. Lessons were loosely scheduled, and I could come and go as I pleased, and they always insisted on feeding all of their students and guests who happened to be around during lunchtime huge homemade feasts. They also always welcomed friends and visits from foreign guests. I mostly dyed silk scarves, but also did my own experimentation with hanji (Korean handmade paper). Feb – June, 2009.

Safflower petals

Naju visit April 2021

A brief visit to the natural dye museum in Naju (Jeollanam-do), April 2, 2021.

Naju natural dye museum

Haystack Open Studio Residency 2015

10 working days in Deer Isle, Maine at the Haystack Mt. School of Crafts Open Studio Residency. The first half of June was rainy, cold, and windy, but ideal for hunkering down in the studio(s) in the company of other fabulous makers. A sampling of work, mostly ducks, made on site out of hanji, using jiseung techniques. May 31 – June 11, 2015.

Duck #2

Lacquer studio of Choi family

A visit to the lacquer studios, classroom, and gallery of Mr. Choi Jong-kwan. His wife, son, daughter, and disciple all practice here in a building in Hongdae, keeping alive traditional lacquer work by making contemporary work. Dec 2014.

chilgi.theione.kr/

Student work area

Eumseong jiseung 2014

A visit to see three women who make beautiful jiseung objects, located full- and part-time in Eumseong (Chungcheong-do). The Korean countryside in Nov (2014).

Eumseong jiseung

Jiseung in the mts 2014

Three+ weeks of daily study in the mountains of Gangwon-do, making woven hanji objects using the jiseung technique. Oct/Nov 2014.

My second gourd

Load More

Contact

Artists’ books: Vamp & Tramp
Inquiries & sales: contact@aimeelee.net

Links

  Blog

  Flickr photos

  Vimeo videos

  YouTube videos

  Questions? See Q&A

Subscribe to my newsletter

Back To Top