Sculpting Memories with Lee Ko

Lee Ko's art is both small and large, showcasing the power of the spaces in between and the complexities of connection. She embraces multitudes, as individual elements of her creation combine to form something more significant.

Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1976. Exploring themes of transformation and renewal, she works primarily with metal, clay, wood, and recycled materials. "After finishing my [MFA] degree in Seoul, I jumped straight into a second one in New York. I was living a solo, self-focused life, immersed in constant art education, so it was all about me back then," she reflects.

But, when her four kids came along, life shifted in unplanned ways. Lee stepped away from her work for 15 years. "At first, that was really tough on me mentally," she shares.

"Now, I feel grateful for even the smallest opportunities, and I think I’ve been growing as a person with my children. [They] are a big part of my creative process now. They teach me and make me awake," Lee observes.

Currently, Lee is engaged in an ambitious collaborative series called The Hands Project, a large-scale effort honoring 100 artists and supporters who shape Charlotte’s creative landscape. “This project is about celebrating the hands that make our community what it is,” she explains. “Hands create. They endure. They tell stories.”

The idea first took shape a few years ago when Lee reconnected with Charlotte’s art community. She met artists, curators, and supporters who invested their energy into building something greater than themselves. It struck her that their contributions were often quiet, their hands bearing the marks of dedication.

"I think every great thing starts with hands. Charlotte is this surprising hub of artists and art-related folks...an art city at its core. My hope is that this project gives us a chance to recognize and celebrate the hands that make Charlotte and the surrounding areas beautiful."

With generous support from Joanne Rogers of Nine Eighteen Nine Gallery, Lee is bringing The Hands Project to fruition. She invites each participant to her studio at the VAPA Center, where she carefully casts their hand in alginate: the same material dentists use to make molds of your teeth.

Artists plunge their hands in this gooey substance that hardens into a silicon-like mold over the next 20 minutes. Lee finds that this waiting period creates opportunities for connection. "It’s a meaningful exchange. Sometimes it gets emotional. I’ve even cried with a participant before," she admits.

"I’m blown away by the stories they carry behind the scenes. Each person’s life, their struggles, their passions, it all spills out during that quiet casting time," she says. "It hits me over and over again how, after nearly 50 years, I’ve been living in such a tiny world of my own."

After the artist extracts their hand from the mold, Lee can pour in the plaster. And while she works on their hand sculpture, their hands work on a unique backdrop representing their creative journey. Once the artist returns their piece, Lee combines the two and hangs the artwork on the wall.

*The wall of Hands at Nine Eighteen Nine*

The response to the project has been overwhelming. "I want to say sorry to anyone who hasn’t gotten a reply. I feel terrible about it, but I just can’t answer every single one," she stresses. Lee spends 15-20 hours on each collaboration. She is sharing the entire process on the @thehandsbylee Instagram account.

She has already cast over 30 hands, and by mid-2026, The Hands Project will be shown in a public exhibition, telling a story of dedication, resilience, and creativity. It’s a tribute to the ones who give Charlotte a colorful personality.

While The Hands Project highlights the creative forces shaping Charlotte, Lee’s personal work explores the quieter, often overlooked moments of transformation. Her series, A Way Coming Back, embodies this philosophy, drawing inspiration from a personal experience: her first time ever kayaking. "Floating there, it was such an experience I’ve never had. I saw lotus leaves, water plants, drifting twigs, and insects skimming the surface," she gushes. "My kids were happy, and I enjoyed the sounds surrounding us. It got me thinking, isn’t our life kind of like that too? A collection of all these different little units coming together?"

Lee began combining reclaimed bits and pieces from around the house—like crushed glass from old sauce jars and copper wire from electrical cords—with hand-built, boat-shaped ceramic pieces, positioned to form flowing groups of individual components. The renewed beauty of reused domestic materials mirrors her artistic rebirth after a long parenting break.

She plans a rough pattern early on, but mostly the compositions come together organically. Each clay piece is improvised. "That’s just how I work," she explains. "The chance encounters as these little units come to life, the harmonies they form, and the way small things build into something big feel so much like life itself to me."

One artwork from the series was photographed and awarded a coveted spot in the 2023 ArtPop Street Gallery. Through that billboard art program, Lee's artwork was shown to the public as far away as Seoul, South Korea. She was able to take her oldest children to see it on the giant digital display in person, a full-circle moment in the place she grew up.

Lee's journey is a testament to the idea that creativity can always be reawakened. After stepping away from her practice for years, she returned with a refreshed perspective that embraces collaboration, improvisation, and transformation. With The Hands Project and A Way Coming Back, she honors the people and the quiet moments that shape our lives.

By Alexandra Smith