I’m honored to have participated in the 12th “From Lausanne to Beijing” International Fiber Art Biennial, a prestigious global exhibition presented by the Academy of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University, in collaboration with Yunnan Minzu University and the Yunnan Provincial Museum.
The Biennial, themed “Space – The Dimension of Fiber,” was held at the Yunnan Provincial Museum from September 1 to October 31, 2022, and continued with the International Fiber Art Invitational Exhibition at the Tsinghua University Museum of Cultural Creativity in Shanghai, opening on February 20, 2023.
Behind the Labels
Medium: Nobang (organza), labels
Size: 360” W × 36” H
Techniques: Whip stitch, image transfer
This series began in 1988, when I immigrated from Korea to the United States. Using labels from my family’s clothing, I created patchworks every two years, each composed of 150–200 labels. Over time, these works evolved into a collection of 15 patchworks, chronicling our migration, the places we lived, and the growth of our children.
Initially, the labels were mostly from Korean brands, reflecting our roots. As the years passed, they became a visual diary—a family portrait stitched together from fragments of our lives.
By displaying both the front and back of each label, I aimed to reveal the deeper social realities embedded in everyday objects. Each label represents the only tangible connection between the consumer and the laborer, highlighting the globalized nature of the garment industry and the disparity between production and consumption.
