Ailyn Lee

Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY, USA

Artist statement

I’m a New York–based interdisciplinary artist working in sculpture, painting, video, and performance. Rooted in personal mythology and childhood memories of my grandmother’s antique shop in Busan, I create dreamlike characters and environments using found and handmade elements. Growing up, I spent much of my time in my grandmother’s shop, surrounded by time-worn Western furniture that had traveled from the West to Korea, figurative sculptures made by my mother, and mysterious dolls. My grandmother cared for these objects almost as if they were living beings, and I imagined fantastical stories around them. My projects often begin with found objects that inspire intuitive drawings, and vice versa. I collect reclaimed furniture and everyday objects throughout New York City and combine them with stone clay, wax, hand-dyed hanji, silk, and thread. Familiar objects gradually become hybrid characters, often accompanied by recurring motifs such as butterflies, the moon, and fragmented bodies. These forms sometimes extend into props and environments for my films and performances. Through this process, I create dreamscapes where strange, isolated beings—whether objects, creatures, or humans—can be vulnerable and still feel at home.

Artwork