From Texture to Form: Objects for Everyday Living
Most of us think of luffa(sponge gourd) simply as a bath sponge — something practical, almost forgettable. But in From Texture to Form, artist Yeji Kim invites us to see this humble material from a completely new perspective.
By deconstructing and reassembling its woven texture and soft structure, she transforms luffa into everyday objects and art pieces, blurring the line between sculpture and daily life. Each work reveals the material’s natural lightness, warmth, and unexpected beauty.
Kim’s practice goes beyond function or form; it is about discovering new possibilities and quiet beauty in materials we often overlook. By using luffa — a biodegradable material that grows in nature and returns to it — she shares the value of a more mindful, sustainable way of living, while questioning the role of craft in our lives today.
Each piece reminds us that craft can hold poetry, and that even the most ordinary things can bring new depth and gentle beauty into our daily moments.
Could you briefly introduce yourself?
I create sculptural yet functional objects by deconstructing and reassembling luffa. My practice began with flat works such as bathmats, and gradually expanded into baskets, small Soban(tables), and other three-dimensional forms. More recently, I have been experimenting with integrating luffa into furniture and everyday items, expanding its possibilities.
What led you to work with luffa?
Sustainability has always been central to my perspective as a maker, guiding not just the materials I use but also how I think about the process of craft. I came across luffa while preparing for the Korea Sweden Young Design Award (KSYDA), and though it is often seen as an ordinary household item, to me it suggested new possibilities. Its dual qualities — rough yet flexible, lightweight yet strong — were immediately appealing, and I naturally began to explore it further.
What was most intriguing when you first used luffa as a craft material?
Of course, luffa grows in irregular forms, but once deconstructed and rejoined it can be transformed into surprisingly balanced structures and patterns. This flexibility of the material fascinated me. I was also struck by how its properties shift with water — firm and rigid when dry, yet soft and pliable when wet. What captivates me most is the moment when such an unpredictable substance, through these processes, is refined into a distinct language of craft.
How does luffa’s material quality influence the forms and aesthetics of your work?
Luffa carries a dual quality — rough yet flexible. When I work with its irregular structure as it is, the result emphasizes a natural, organic presence. When I process it further and introduce patterns, it takes on a more refined aesthetic. These contrasting qualities make it possible for me to pursue both sculptural form and expressive nuance in my work.
What challenges or advantages have you found in working with luffa?
Because luffa is a natural material, its size and density are never consistent, which creates many variables in the process. It can tear easily during stitching, or at times be too dense to sew through. Yet its lightness and breathability make it highly adaptable, and these very irregularities often become the driving force that keeps me experimenting.
You also practice natural dyeing. What materials do you usually use?
At the moment, I use ready-made natural dyes, mainly based on ingredients like green tea or pagoda tree. Although I haven’t yet studied dyeing on a deeper level, preparing for this exhibition inspired me to explore it more systematically. I found that the results shift depending on temperature and the luffa’s natural undertone, which showed me the need for a more in-depth approach.
The variety of patterns and forms in your work is striking. Where do you find inspiration?
Much of my inspiration comes from everyday moments, as well as from the colors and patterns in fashion. Fashion often embraces bold and free experimentation, which encourages me to take new approaches in craft. At the same time, casual conversations or small episodes around me frequently become the starting point for new work.
What significance do you see in sustainable practices within contemporary craft?
I see sustainability not just as the use of eco-friendly materials, but as a principle that extends through the entire process of making and beyond. It means rethinking what materials we choose, how we work with them, and how the finished piece will be used. In practice, this involves conserving resources, working efficiently, and creating outcomes that last. Because craft is so deeply tied to everyday life, I believe its true sustainability lies in making objects that can be valued and used for years to come.
What message do you hope to convey through this exhibition? Are there particular works or details you’d like visitors to notice?
This exhibition explores the essential qualities and sculptural potential of luffa. Through objects drawn from everyday domestic contexts, I wanted to reveal new dimensions of the material, while both two-dimensional and three-dimensional approaches highlight its shifting textures and possibilities.
Among the works on view, I especially hope visitors will notice the Shape of Autumn series. The pendant light, shaped in a voluminous pumpkin-like form, retains the material’s rough texture while achieving a balanced volume through added line stitches and exposed seams. My intention was to hold refinement and rawness together within a single form. The baskets in the same series are crafted from luffa cut into thin strips, dyed in three different colors and pieced together in striped compositions. Through shifts in color and scale, they evoke the layered richness of autumn.
Beyond luffa, are there other materials or methods you’d like to explore?
At the moment my practice centers on luffa, but I am also drawn to combining it with other materials such as wood or steel. I am particularly interested in applying it to larger-scale projects and furniture design. Through experimenting with diverse materials and methods, I hope to expand the possibilities of luffa while continuing to create works that balance functionality and artistry.
Curator's note
As someone who runs a space that sells things, I think about objects constantly—what they’re made of, how they’re used, and most importantly, whether they’ll last.
To me, the most important thing isn’t just selling beautiful things. It’s about offering pieces that stay with people. I never want anyone to feel like they wasted their money. Cheap things often serve their purpose—but not for long. They break, fade, and eventually end up in the trash. Then we buy again. And again.
Not everything expensive is truly worth its price. But I believe my role is to help people choose wisely—to make thoughtful purchases they’ll cherish and use for years to come.
That’s part of why our very first exhibition at Studio Ko begins with From Texture to Form.
The artist, Yeji Kim, works with luffa—a natural material most people know only as a bath sponge. At first glance, it feels too fragile, too common to become art. But in Kim’s hands, it transforms. Through careful deconstruction and rebuilding, she shapes luffa into everyday objects—trays, mats, light shades, baskets—that feel both familiar and entirely new.
What drew me in was the material’s quiet contradiction: soft yet structured, disposable yet enduring. And Kim’s approach isn’t about turning it into something grand—it’s about letting the material speak. About showing that even something overlooked can carry quiet beauty.
Her work is rooted in sustainability—not just as a concept, but as a way of making and thinking. In a world of climate crises and overproduction, using biodegradable, plant-based materials is not only responsible—it’s poetic.
And maybe that’s what stayed with me: The idea that art doesn’t always need to be monumental. That it can be modest, slow, and woven into daily life. That something as simple as a luffa—reshaped, reimagined—can hold a new kind of value.
This exhibition is about that transformation.
From texture to form. From the ordinary to the intentional.
From what we touch without noticing, to what we live with—fully aware.
(KR)
어쩌면 저는 매일 물건을 ‘판매하는 사람’이라는 정체성으로 살아가는 사람일지도 모르겠어요. 그래서일까요? 늘 물건에 대해 생각하게 됩니다. 무엇으로 만들어졌는지, 어떻게 쓰이는지, 그리고 무엇보다도 오래도록 곁에 머물 수 있는 물건인지.
저에게 좋은 물건이란 예쁘기만 한 게 아니라, 시간이 지나도 여전히 가치 있게 느껴지는 물건입니다. 누구도 “괜히 샀다”라는 생각이 들지 않기를 바랍니다. 저렴한 물건은 그 가격만큼의 역할을 해내죠. 하지만 금방 망가지고, 쉽게 버려지고, 결국 "싸니까" 하며 사고, 버리고를 반복해요.
하지만 비싸다고 해서 무조건 다 좋은 것도 아니에요. 결국은 누군가가 정말 아끼며 오래 쓰게 될 물건을 ‘잘 고를 수 있도록, 좋은 소비를 할 수 있도록 돕는 것’, 그게 제 역할이라 생각해요.
그래서 스튜디오코의 첫 전시로 <From Texture to Form>을 기획 했습니다.
김예지 작가는 흔히 루파라 불리는 '수세미외' 식물로 작업합니다. 대부분의 사람들이 주방 수세미나 바디 스크럽 정도로만 알고 있는, 너무나도 평범한 소재죠. 너무 평범해서 예술과는 거리가 멀게 느껴지기도 합니다. 그런데 작가의 손을 거치면 수세미는 달라집니다. 형태가 해체되고 다시 조립되며, 바스켓이나 화병, 조명 같은 생활 속 오브제로 재탄생합니다.
김예지 작가의 작품에 끌렸던 첫 번째 이유는 지속가능성이었습니다. 기후 위기와 환경 재난이 일상처럼 들려오는 시대, 많은 사람들이 각자의 방식으로 ‘지구를 아끼는 삶’을 고민하고 있잖아요. 저 역시 이 전시를 통해, 제가 할 수 있는 방식으로 그런 생각을 이어가고 싶었어요.
그리고 두번째 이유는 루파라는 재료의 낯설지만 신선한 가능성입니다. 누구도 주목하지 않았던 소재가, 작가의 새로운 시선 아래에서 아름다운 사물이 되는 과정. 그건 단순한 조형 작업 그 이상이었습니다.
김예지 작가의 작업은 거창하지 않지만, 그만큼 우리 일상에 조용히 스며듭니다. 손이 닿고, 눈이 머무는 곳에 조심스레 놓이는 오브제들. 그렇게 매일 사용하는 물건이, 예술이 될 수 있다면—그 일상이 얼마나 다르게 느껴질까요?
이 전시는 바로 그런 이야기입니다.
낯선 촉감이 형태가 되고,
소외된 재료가 의미를 가지며,
보통의 사물이 내 일상의 중심이 되는 이야기.
작지만 깊은 변화, 그 시작을 함께 나누고 싶었습니다.