Biography
Jiyong Lee (b. 1971, Seoul, Korea) is a Korean-American artist known for his Segmentation series, sculptural works in glass that explore how complex structures emerge from simple units. Drawing from microcosms, his work examines how variation is embedded within shared systems, only partially accessible through perception. He has lived and worked in the United States since 1998 and is currently based in Illinois.
In the ongoing Segmentation series, geometric and biomorphic forms reference cellular and embryonic structures while emphasizing the optical properties of glass—transparency, translucency, and opacity. Through layered construction, Lee creates sculptures in which simple exterior forms contain intricate internal variations, simultaneously revealing and concealing structure. Rather than presenting these forms as scientific models, the work reflects on how complexity is organized, perceived, and often only partially understood.
Lee's work has received international recognition, including being named a finalist for the 2021 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, the Chanel Collection, and receiving the 2017 Bavarian State Prize at the International Trade Fair in Munich. His sculptures have been featured in publications including Glass Quarterly, American Craft, and New Glass Review by The Corning Museum of Glass. His work is held in major public and private collections, including The Corning Museum of Glass and the Barry Art Museum. In addition to his studio practice, Lee is a professor of art at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where he has led the glass program since 2005. He earned his MFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and has taught and presented workshops internationally, including at The Corning Museum of Glass, Penland School of Craft, and Pilchuck Glass School.
Jiyong Lee (b. 1971, Seoul, Korea) is a Korean-American artist known for his Segmentation series, sculptural works in glass that explore how complex structures emerge from simple units. Drawing from microcosms, his work examines how variation is embedded within shared systems, only partially accessible through perception. He has lived and worked in the United States since 1998 and is currently based in Illinois.
In the ongoing Segmentation series, geometric and biomorphic forms reference cellular and embryonic structures while emphasizing the optical properties of glass—transparency, translucency, and opacity. Through layered construction, Lee creates sculptures in which simple exterior forms contain intricate internal variations, simultaneously revealing and concealing structure. Rather than presenting these forms as scientific models, the work reflects on how complexity is organized, perceived, and often only partially understood.
Lee's work has received international recognition, including being named a finalist for the 2021 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, the Chanel Collection, and receiving the 2017 Bavarian State Prize at the International Trade Fair in Munich. His sculptures have been featured in publications including Glass Quarterly, American Craft, and New Glass Review by The Corning Museum of Glass. His work is held in major public and private collections, including The Corning Museum of Glass and the Barry Art Museum. In addition to his studio practice, Lee is a professor of art at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where he has led the glass program since 2005. He earned his MFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and has taught and presented workshops internationally, including at The Corning Museum of Glass, Penland School of Craft, and Pilchuck Glass School.
Public Collection
Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York, USA
Barry Art Museum, Norfolk, Virginia, USA
Fundación MEDIANOCHE0, Granada, Spain
Cedarhurst Center for the Arts, Mount Vernon, Illinois, USA
Chanel, Paris, France
Samsung Corporation, Seoul, Korea
Museum of Glass, Tacoma, Washington, USA
Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin, USA
Palmer Museum of Art, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
Qingdao Art Museum, Qingdao, China
Imagine Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York, USA
Barry Art Museum, Norfolk, Virginia, USA
Fundación MEDIANOCHE0, Granada, Spain
Cedarhurst Center for the Arts, Mount Vernon, Illinois, USA
Chanel, Paris, France
Samsung Corporation, Seoul, Korea
Museum of Glass, Tacoma, Washington, USA
Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin, USA
Palmer Museum of Art, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
Qingdao Art Museum, Qingdao, China
Imagine Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
CV (highlights)
Education
Selected Solo Exhibitions
Selected Group Exhibitions
Honors & Awards
Teaching
Selected Bibliography
Professional Service
- MFA, Rochester Institute of Technology, New York (2001)
- BFA, Hong-ik University, Korea (1997)
Selected Solo Exhibitions
- Invisible Microcosm, Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA (2023)
- Jiyong Lee–Macrocosme, Clara Scremini Gallery, Paris, France (2016)
- Imagination of Microcosm, Duane Reed Gallery, St. Louis, MO (2017)
Selected Group Exhibitions
- ILLUMINATED, Design Miami in Situ, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Seoul (2025)
- Thoughts on Thickness – Korean Craft Show, Rossana Orlandi Gallery, Milan (2024)
- Collect Art Fair, Somerset House, London (2023)
- Fired Up: Glass Today, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT (2022)
- Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2021 Finalist, digital exhibition (2021)
- Chanel Mademoiselle Privé Seoul, D Museum, Seoul (2017)
- The Studio at 20, Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY (2016)
- Korean Now, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (2015)
Honors & Awards
- Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2021 Finalist, Madrid, Spain
- Bavarian State Gold Prize, International Trade Fair, Munich (2017)
- Award Winner, 41st Annual International Glass Invitational, Habatat Galleries (2013)
- Emerging Artist Award, Glass Art Society Annual Conference, Adelaide (2005)
Teaching
- Professor & Head of Glass Program, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (2018–present)
- Workshop Instructor, The Studio at Corning Museum of Glass (2008–present)
- Workshop Instructor, Penland School of Crafts (2015)
- Workshop Instructor, Pilchuck Glass School (2008)
Selected Bibliography
- William V. Ganis, "The Tao of Glass," Glass Quarterly No. 172 (Fall 2023)
- William V. Ganis, solo exhibition review, Glass Quarterly No. 150 (Spring 2018)
- Sebby Wilson Jacobson, "Night and Day," American Craft (Oct./Nov. 2013)
- John Drury, "Jiyong Lee: Master Lee's Synthesis," Neues Glas (Spring 2012)
Professional Service
- Juror, International Cheongju Craft Biennale (2023)
- Expert Panel, Loewe Foundation Craft Prize (2022)
- Board Member & Chair of Education Committee, Glass Art Society (2009–2015)
Press
William V. Ganis, “The Tao of Glass” Glass Quarterly, No. 172 Fall 2023, pp 26-35
Journal
May 2026 (EN /KO)
Mitosis, 2019
Process
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In Between Materials, Monoha Hannam, June 28 – July 10 2022
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In Between Materials, Monoha Hannam, June 28 – July 10 2022
2022 Loewe Craft Prize Expert Panel (on site)
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Mitosis, and the Years That Almost Were
In 2019, I completed Mitosis. It was the largest and undoubtedly the heaviest piece I had created to date. Existing in two distinct parts, the work demanded a level of physical endurance I hadn't previously encountered. My process is visceral and literal: I carry the weight of the glass in my arms throughout the entire fabrication. Supporting that mass for hours, my muscles were pushed to their limits by constant strain and vibration, until the sensation in my fingertips became simultaneously hyper-sensitive and faint. I felt the glass pushing back at me—a physical resistance that resonated in my body long after the work was finished. The composition follows a logic of restraint: a vibrant orange core enveloped within a pale, nearly translucent white exterior. The orange does not sit on the surface; it diffuses from within, filtered through successive layers of glass. To me, it is an honest representation of the human interior—the perpetual tension between what we reveal and what we conceal. This internal glow symbolizes the primal energy of a single cell—the singular point of origin. It captures the silent yet explosive moment of cellular division and development, from one into millions. It is an invisible labor of growth, held within the structural quietude of the glass. My Spring 2020 sabbatical was meant to be an ambitious journey. It began in mid-February at The Studio of The Corning Museum of Glass for an Artist-in-Residence program. I remember sitting in Corning, finalizing reservations for Paris, Copenhagen, and Sweden, feeling a deep sense of accomplishment. Then came March. On March 11, 2020, the world I had planned for vanished. While I was fortunate to complete my residency, the 15-hour drive back to Illinois was surreal. Electronic highway signs in New York, which usually flashed safety reminders, now pulsed with a jarring command in bright orange: STAY HOME, STAY ALIVE. It was a visceral reminder that our world had fundamentally shifted. In late 2021, joining the expert panel for the 2022 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize further recalibrated my practice. It was an emotionally taxing process that carried a profound sense of responsibility. Evaluating such exceptional works through a critical lens required intense deliberation and a complex internal dialogue. I still hold vivid memories of several artists whose vision struck me deeply; seeing them continue to produce magnificent work today remains a significant source of inspiration. Witnessing such an immense volume of human making clarifies what truly holds up under scrutiny—and why I continue to return to this specific language of glass. Mitosis has since traveled from Seoul to various museums across the USA and is currently on view at Duane Reed Gallery in St. Louis. It continues to hold its orange core quietly inside, waiting—as it always has—for the light to decide what to reveal. |
마이토시스, 그리고 잃어버릴 뻔했던 시간들
2019년, <마이토시스(Mitosis, 유사분열)> 작업을 마쳤다. 당시까지 내가 시도한 작업 중 가장 거대했으며, 무엇보다 압도적인 무게를 지닌 작품이었다. 두 부분으로 나뉜 이 유리를 만드는 과정에서 나는 이전과는 전혀 다른 물리적 한계를 경험했다. 내 작업은 언제나 육체적이며 직접적이다. 제작 기간 내내 두 팔로 유리 덩어리의 하중을 온전히 감당해야 했기 때문이다. 장시간 그 무게를 지탱하며 근육은 끊임없는 고통과 진동에 노출되었고, 어느 순간 손가락 끝의 감각은 극도로 예민해지는 동시에 아득히 희미해졌다. 유리가 나를 물리적으로 밀어내고 있다는 그 저항감은 작업이 끝난 후에도 오랫동안 잔상처럼 몸에 남았다. 이 작품의 구성은 ‘절제의 논리’를 따른다. 창백하고 반투명한 흰색 외면 속에 선명한 오렌지색 핵이 자리 잡고 있다. 이 색은 표면에 머무는 것이 아니라, 겹겹의 유리층을 통과하며 내부로부터 서서히 확산된다. 내게 이 모습은 인간의 내면을 가장 정직하게 투영한 형상처럼 다가왔다. 우리가 무엇을 드러내고, 무엇을 감추려 하는가에 대한 끊임없는 긴장감 말이다. 내부에서 뿜어져 나오는 이 빛은 단일 세포의 근원적인 에너지, 즉 생명의 시작점을 상징한다. 하나에서 둘로, 다시 수백만 개로 세포가 분열하고 발달하는 그 정적이면서도 폭발적인 순간을 포착하고자 했다. 그것은 유리의 구조적 고요함 속에 갇힌 ‘보이지 않는 성장의 노동’이다. 2020년 봄 학기는 안식년이었기에 원대한 계획을 세웠다. 2월 중순 코닝 유리 박물관의 ‘아티스트 인 레지던시’를 시작으로 파리의 로에베 재단 공예상 전시, 코펜하겐, 스웨덴으로 이어지는 여정을 예약하며 뿌듯해했던 기억이 선명하다. 하지만 3월이 오자 세상은 순식간에 사라졌다. WHO의 팬데믹 선포 이후, 일리노이로 돌아오는 15시간의 운전길은 초현실적이었다. 뉴욕 고속도로 전광판에 점멸하던 'STAY HOME, STAY ALIVE'라는 주황색 경고 문구는 우리가 알던 세상의 종말을 알리는 강렬한 신호였다. 2021년 말, 로에베 측으로부터 2022년 공예상의 전문가 심사위원회(Expert Panel) 참여 제안을 받았다. 3,000점이 넘는 포트폴리오를 마주하며 마드리드에서 보낸 시간은 내 안의 무언가를 변화시켰다. 정서적으로는 매우 치열하고도 무거운 책임감이 따르는 과정이었다. 수많은 뛰어난 작업들 사이에서 비평적 우선순위를 가려내는 일은 작가로서 깊은 고뇌를 동반했다. 비록 최종 선정에 이르지 못했더라도, 당시 강렬한 인상을 남겼던 여러 작가들이 오늘날까지 보여주는 눈부신 행보를 지켜보는 것은 내게 큰 영감이 된다. 수많은 창작의 결과물 속에서 어떤 작업이 비평의 잣대 아래 끝까지 살아남는지, 그리고 나는 왜 결국 이 지점으로 계속 돌아오게 되는지의 이유가 명확해졌기 때문이다. 그 후 <마이토시스>는 서울을 거쳐 미국 내 여러 미술관과 갤러리, 그리고 현재 세인트루이스의 드웨인 리드 갤러리에 이르기까지 긴 전시의 여정을 이어 오고 있다. 작품은 여전히 그 내부에 주황색 빛을 조용히 머금은 채, 늘 그래왔듯 빛이 무엇을 보여줄지 결정하기를 기다리고 있다. |
Next: SPACE, 2019
