이상협은 시간과 노동, 그리고 재료의 흔적을 탐구하는 현대 은공예 작가이다. 그의 작업은 단순한 금속을 넘어, 반복되는 두드림과 불질을 통해 은 위에 시간과 손길의 기록을 담아낸다. 연꽃잎과 달 모양에서 영감을 받은 곡선과 형태는 자연의 흐름과 인간의 노동이 만나는 순간을 보여주며, 기능과 조형의 경계를 넘나든다.
작가에게 ‘만듦’의 과정은 곧 머무름의 미학이다. 매 순간 쌓이는 흔적과 반복의 시간 속에서 은은 차갑지 않은 존재로 숨을 고르고, 관람자는 이를 통해 물성과 시간, 그리고 작업의 섬세한 호흡을 천천히 경험할 수 있다.
William Lee is a contemporary silversmith who explores the traces of time, labor, and material. His work transforms silver into a medium that records the passage of time and the marks of human touch through repeated hammering and heating. Curves and forms inspired by lotus petals and the moon reflect the intersection of natural movement and human labor, bridging the line between functional objects and sculptural expression.
For Lee, the process of making embodies the aesthetics of dwelling—each trace and repeated gesture accumulates over time, turning silver into a living presence. Through his work, viewers are invited to slow down and experience the subtle textures, materiality, and meditative rhythm embedded in every piece.
이상협 William Lee (b.1973)
Education
BA in Metal Craft, University of the Arts London (Camberwell College of Arts), UK
Foundation in Sculpture, Exeter College of Art, UK
Highlights
2023 – Craft Award of the Year, Creative Category, Korea
2005 – Artist-in-Residence, M & J, Sheffield Hallam University, UK
2002 – Project Collaboration with Antony Gormley
Exhibitions
2025 – Silver, a Lingering Space, B-tree gallery, Seoul, Korea
2024 – Dark, Hot, and Shining, Gallery Meme, Seoul, Korea
2023 – Korea–China–Japan Craft Exhibition Hwai Budong, Jeonbuk Arts Center, Jeonju, Korea
2022 – Attitudes toward Objects, Culture Station Seoul 284, Seoul, Korea
2021 – Eternal Gleam, Gallery DANDI, Seoul, Korea
2021 – FLOW, HUE Gallery, Seoul, Korea
2021 – Solo Exhibition, Bodyfriend Cheongdam Brand Store, Seoul, Korea
2021 – Special Opening Exhibition, Craft Beyond Time and Borders,
Seoul Museum of Craft Art, Seoul, Korea
2021 – Geum Doseop Exhibition, Gallery DANDI, Seoul, Korea
2021 – All About Attitude, Korean Craft Exhibition, Milan & Korea
2021 – East Asia Cultural City 2021, Korea–China–Japan Future Convergence Festival, Suncheon, Korea
2021 – 20th Anniversary Special Exhibition, Cheongju Korea Craft Center, Cheongju, Korea
2020 – Tea and Silver, Gallery DANDI, Seoul, Korea
2020 – Support and Pour, Gallery DANDI, Seoul, Korea
2019 – Law and Innovation of Korean Craft: Soliloquy of Ink, Korean Cultural Center, Tokyo, Japan
2019 – Lee Sanghyup Metal Sculpture, Gallery Joy, Busan, Korea
2019 – Law and Innovation of Korean Craft, Super Studio, Milan, Italy
2018 – Midas’ Garden: Contemporary Gilt Jewelry, Gallery Baum, Paju, Korea
2018 – In the Spring, Gallery Joy, Busan, Korea
2018 – Hand, Tool, Copper, Street Gallery, Seoul, Korea
2018 – Handmade at Home, Gallery DANDI, Seoul, Korea
2017 – Forged, Galerie Handwerk, Munich, Germany
2017 – Metal Pottery, Gallery DANDI, Seoul, Korea
2016 – The Great Craft Exhibition, Gongpyeong Art Gallery, Seoul, Korea
2014 – Korean Cultural Centre, London, UK
2013 – Design Days Dubai, Gana Space Craft, Dubai, UAE
2012 – Inhorgenta, Munich, Germany
2008 – Solo Exhibition, Metal Gallery, London, UK
2008 – Art & Antique Dubai, Dubai, UAE
2007 – Treasures of Today, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK
2007 – Pacific Rim, Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh, UK
2007 – London Art Fair, Business Design Centre, London, UK
2006 – Treasures of Today, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, UK
2006 – London Craft Fair, Somerset House, London, UK
2005 – Beautiful Bronze: Stunning Silver, Cork Street, London, UK
2005 – Craftsman & Design Award Exhibition, Goldsmiths’ Hall, London, UK
2004 – Christmas Exhibition, Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh, UK
2004 – International New York Fair, Metal Gallery, USA
2004 – Future Map, London Art Gallery, UK
2004 – New Design Show, Business Design Centre, London, UK
2004 – Craftsman & Design Award Exhibition, Goldsmiths’ Hall, London, UK
2003 – Young Designer & Silversmith Award, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
Collections
2011 – Pembroke College, University of Cambridge, UK
2009 – Goldsmiths’ Company, UK
2007 – Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums, UK
2007 – Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA
2006 – Goldsmiths’ Company, UK
2003 – Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK