Yeji Kim is a Seoul-based artist working primarily with natural luffa. Drawn to its coarse texture and flexible structure, she focuses on transforming the material into functional yet sculptural objects through stitching, layering, and repetition. She seeks to create luffa-based works that are meant to be used in everyday life—humble objects shaped by the rhythm of the hand and careful making.

"My practice is grounded in close engagement with luffa as a material. Through repetitive hand movements and the accumulation of time, a single plant is transformed into new forms. Luffa, often regarded as disposable or purely utilitarian, is reworked into objects that invite sustained attention and presence.

Rather than beginning with a fixed concept, the work unfolds through decisions made during the process of making—where a seam must hold, where a surface gives way, and where volume naturally emerges. Stitching, quilting, and layering operate both visually and structurally, shaping rhythm and density within the material. The process is slow and physical, allowing traces of labour and time to remain visible in the final form.

The works maintain use while deliberately resisting complete efficiency. Forms such as baskets, mats, and vessels are intended for everyday handling, yet their proportions are guided by the behaviour of the material rather than by function alone. Through use, qualities such as compression, elasticity, and the grain of the fibres become perceptible, foregrounding the material’s presence.

By repositioning familiar material within domestic space, the work encourages moments of curiosity and rediscovery. It proposes a quieter relationship to objects—one shaped by touch, time, and attentiveness—and continues to explore the latent potential of material through making."