BIOGRAPHY
Jiyong Lee (b. 1971, Seoul, Korea) is a Korean-American contemporary glass artist, educator, and professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He is internationally recognized for sculptural glass works exploring microcosm, optical perception, translucency, and geometric variation. 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. Where science stains life to render it legible, these works reverse the gesture—color is laminated deep within, then withheld beneath lapped surfaces—reflecting on how complexity is organized, perceived, and only ever partially understood.
Lee's work has received international recognition, including being named a finalist for the 2021 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, receiving the 2017 Bavarian State Gold Prize at the International Trade Fair in Munich, and a commissioned work for Chanel. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the 8th Tallinn Applied Art Triennial Translucency, KAI Art Center, Estonia (2021), and Korea Now, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (2015), and has been selected three times for New Glass Review by The Corning Museum of Glass, with features in Glass Quarterly and American Craft. His work is held in major public and private collections, including The Corning Museum of Glass and the Barry Art Museum. He earned his MFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology and has taught and presented workshops internationally, including at The Corning Museum of Glass, Penland School of Craft, and Pilchuck Glass School. The Segmentation series remains ongoing, each new body of work extending its inquiry: still forming.
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. Where science stains life to render it legible, these works reverse the gesture—color is laminated deep within, then withheld beneath lapped surfaces—reflecting on how complexity is organized, perceived, and only ever partially understood.
Lee's work has received international recognition, including being named a finalist for the 2021 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, receiving the 2017 Bavarian State Gold Prize at the International Trade Fair in Munich, and a commissioned work for Chanel. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the 8th Tallinn Applied Art Triennial Translucency, KAI Art Center, Estonia (2021), and Korea Now, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (2015), and has been selected three times for New Glass Review by The Corning Museum of Glass, with features in Glass Quarterly and American Craft. His work is held in major public and private collections, including The Corning Museum of Glass and the Barry Art Museum. He earned his MFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology and has taught and presented workshops internationally, including at The Corning Museum of Glass, Penland School of Craft, and Pilchuck Glass School. The Segmentation series remains ongoing, each new body of work extending its inquiry: still forming.
Upcoming
Homo Faber: An Island of Light, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice — September 2026
Alike, Solo Exhibition, Duane Reed Gallery, St. Louis — September 2026
Alike, Solo Exhibition, Duane Reed Gallery, St. Louis — September 2026
CV(Selected)
Education
- MFA, Rochester Institute of Technology, New York (2001)
- BFA, Hongik University, Korea (1997)
Honors & Awards
- Loewe Foundation Craft Prize Finalist (2021) — One of 30 finalists selected internationally
- Bavarian State Gold Prize, International Trade Fair, Munich (2017)— Bayerischer Staatspreis, the highest award in craft at the Internationale Handwerksmesse
- Commissioned Work: Chanel Mademoiselle Privé Seoul, D Museum, Seoul (2017)
- Emerging Artist Award, Glass Art Society Annual Conference, Adelaide (2005)
- Saxe Award, Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA (2004)
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
- Museum of Glass, Tacoma, Washington, USA
- Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin, USA
- Palmer Museum of Art, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
- Imagine Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
- Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
- Chanel, Paris, France (commissioned work)
- Qingdao Art Museum, Qingdao, China
- Samsung Corporation, Seoul, Korea
Selected Solo Exhibitions
- Alike, Duane Reed Gallery, St. Louis, MO (2026)
- Invisible Microcosm, Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA (2023)
- Imagination of Microcosm, Duane Reed Gallery, St. Louis, MO (2017)
- Jiyong Lee–Macrocosme, Clara Scremini Gallery, Paris, France (2016)
Selected Group Exhibitions
- Homo Faber: An Island of Light, the Michelangelo Foundation, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, Italy (2026)
- ILLUMINATED, Design Miami in Situ, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Seoul (2025)
- Thoughts on Thickness – Korean Craft Show, Rossana Orlandi Gallery, Milan (2024)
- Fired Up: Glass Today, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT (2022)
- Expanding Horizons, International Festival of Glass, Stourbridge, The United Kingdom (2022)
- In Between Materials, MO-NO-HA Gallery Hannam, Seoul, Korea (2022)
- Translucency, 8th Tallinn Applied Art Triennial, KAI Art Center, Tallinn, Estonia (2021)
- Meister der Moderne, International Trade Fair, March 8-14, Munich, Germany (2017)
- Chanel Mademoiselle Privé Seoul, D Museum, Seoul, Korea (2017)
- iglass 2017, International Contemporary Glass Exhibition, Levant Art Gallery, Shanghai, China (2017)
- Glass Now!, Galerie Handwerk, Munich, Germany (2016)
- The Studio at 20, Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY (2016)
- Korea Now, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (2015)
- Qingdao Contemporary Glass Art Exhibition, Qingdao, China (2015)
- Stripping, International Contemporary Glass Art Invitational Exhibition, White Box Museum of Art, Beijing, China (2013)
Selected Art Fairs
- Collect, Gallery Sklo, London, UK (2022 – 2024)
- KIAF Seoul, Gallery Sklo, Oct. 13-17, COEX, Seoul, Korea (2021)
- SOFA, Duane Reed Gallery, Chicago, New York, Santa Fe, USA (2009 – 2018)
- BRAFA Art Fair, Clara Scremini Gallery, Jan. 27-Feb 4, Brussels, Belgium (2017)
- PAD London Art and Design, Clara Scremini Gallery, October 3-9, London, UK (2016)
- Select NYC, Duane Reed Gallery, May 13-17, New York, NY (2014)
Residencies
- Artist in Residence, Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York (2020)
- Visiting Artist Residency, Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA (2014)
- Research Residency (March), Sydney College of the Arts, Sydney, Australia (2012)
Teaching
- Professor & Head of Glass Program, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (2005–present)
- Workshop Instructor, The Studio at Corning Museum of Glass
- Workshop Instructor, Penland School of Craft
- Workshop Instructor, Pilchuck Glass School
Professional Service
- Juror Panelist, International Cheongju Craft Biennale, Cheongju, Korea (2023)
- Expert Panelist, Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, Madrid, Spain (2022)
- Board of Directors, Glass Art Society, Seattle, USA (2009–2015)
Selected Bibliography
- William V. Ganis, "The Tao of Glass," Glass Quarterly No. 172 (Fall 2023), pp. 26–35
- William V. Ganis, solo exhibition review, Glass Quarterly No. 150 (Spring 2018), pp. 53–54
- Asako Uchida, Asia Color Trend Book 2017–18, DIC Color Design Inc., Japan (December 2015). Work selected as design inspiration reference.
- Sebby Wilson Jacobson, "Night and Day," American Craft (Oct./Nov. 2013)
- John Drury, "Jiyong Lee: Master Lee's Synthesis," Neues Glas (Spring 2012)
- New Glass Review (juried annual), The Corning Museum of Glass: No. 35 (2014), No. 32 (2011), No. 24 (2003)
Full CV available upon request. CONTACT
PRESS
Video
Invisible Microcosm, Solo Exhibition at Traver Gallery (2023)
The 8th Tallinn Applied Art Triennial 'Translucency'
Urbanglass, 2023 Exhibition announcement for the solo show at Traver Gallery, featuring a preview of the upcoming feature article in Glass Quarterly.
Contemporary Glass Society Artist interview covering practice, materials, and microorganism-inspired work. CGS, UK, March 2025.
Online & General interest
PPAPER magazine, Taiwan
Colossal
Bored Panda
International Examiner, Seattle Solo Exhibition Review, Traver Gallery 2023
Our Narratives (EN/CN)
Interalia Magazine | Audio/Visual: Jiyong Lee's Segmentation series (Nov 2021)
Colossal
Bored Panda
International Examiner, Seattle Solo Exhibition Review, Traver Gallery 2023
Our Narratives (EN/CN)
Interalia Magazine | Audio/Visual: Jiyong Lee's Segmentation series (Nov 2021)
Korean Press
Design+ (Design House), "2022 로에베 재단 공예상" (The 2022 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize), by Seo Min-kyung, July 19, 2022. Notes Lee as a 2021 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize finalist and as one of eleven expert panel members for the 2022 prize.
Kiaf Seoul — GLASS FLEX: Studio Glass in Korea Gallery Sklo group exhibition, Kiaf Art Seoul Insights.
Harper's Bazaar Korea "샤넬의 예술적 DNA" (Chanel's Artistic DNA), interview by Kim Ji-seon, October 17, 2017. On Chanel Camellia, commissioned for Chanel Mademoiselle Privé Seoul, D Museum, Seoul.
Kiaf Seoul — GLASS FLEX: Studio Glass in Korea Gallery Sklo group exhibition, Kiaf Art Seoul Insights.
Harper's Bazaar Korea "샤넬의 예술적 DNA" (Chanel's Artistic DNA), interview by Kim Ji-seon, October 17, 2017. On Chanel Camellia, commissioned for Chanel Mademoiselle Privé Seoul, D Museum, Seoul.