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threads of connection
Make pain your power with artist, Jee Park.
The passing of Jee Park’s father set her on a path of reflection that intensified during the pandemic. Witnessing the rise in violence against Asian Americans left her with a lingering sense of displacement, making her question where she truly belonged. America had been home, but at that moment, it felt more hostile and unwelcoming than ever before. “Representation matters,” she points out, “but just as important is the freedom to tell our story and define ourselves on our own terms.”
Jee’s exploration of identity is not confined to a single culture or place. Her childhood memories of South Korea are certainly tied to family, tradition, and nostalgia, but America remains the land where she has built a life, a community, and a sense of self. For Jee, home is where she feels safe, where she feels at liberty to express her true colors without judgment or repercussions. The materials she selects speak to this emotional and cultural duality, carrying a combination of history, personal significance, and collective memory. The Suui, a traditional hemp garment used in burial rites, represents love, reverence, and remembrance. By incorporating it into her art, she transforms it from a symbol of finality into an ongoing discourse about loss, connection, and belonging. Combining the Suui’s string, sleeves, and fabric elements with everyday materials like pillowcases, she is able to pull the covers on immigrant experiences, the longing for home, and the sheer resilience of diaspora communities.
Jee’s solo exhibition Close to Home was a powerful meditation on memory, trauma, and healing. Dedicated to Asian American women who had been victims of violence, including Christina Yuna Lee, the show examined the devastating reality of being othered and targeted close to home. Through such exhibitions, Jee reasserts the right to belong, challenges erasure, and honors those whose lives and spirits were extinguished before their time.
For Jee, art is a mode of expression and a space for healing. During an artist talk at her Miami solo show, she shared her personal experiences of grief and displacement. The response was immediate and deeply moving. Audience members, many of whom had never spoken openly about their own losses, felt compelled to share their stories. What had begun as a strictly artistic discussion became an intimate, collective moment of catharsis.
More than anything, Jee wants her creativity to remind people that they are never alone, that their lived experiences matter, and that home is ultimately a feeling we all continue to search for and redefine.
