Fibers of Becoming Preview

An American artist based in Kyoto, Japan, Sarah Brayer has pioneered innovative approaches to print and papermaking since 1980. Internationally acclaimed for her large-scale poured paper works and aquatint prints, Brayer’s artistic journey bridges Japanese art forms with Western improvisation.

Drawn to Japan through her interest in raku ceramics, Brayer established herself in Kyoto’s art community, eventually becoming the only Western artist regularly creating work in the ancient papermaking center of Echizen.

Through her hands, traditional materials and methods become vessels for contemporary expression, leading to works that transcend cultural boundaries. Recognizing this, in 2013, Japan’s Ministry of Culture presented Brayer with the prestigious Commissioner’s Award (Bunkachō Chōkan Hyōshō 文化庁長官表彰) for her role in disseminating Japanese culture internationally.

Layered Moonlight, 2014. Poured mulberry paperwork with tengujo washi and phosphorescent pigment. Courtesy of the Verne Collection, TL7.2025.

“Radiant skies, a light in the distance,
moonlight or glowing constellations,
I express light in all its manifestations.

“The Luminosity series evolved from the idea that light is within us and touches on a primeval sense of light as it emerges from a sea of nothingness (the void). I wish to engage the viewer in this search for understanding in an elemental and quieting experience that is meditative and thought provoking.”

Sarah Brayer, Inner Light, 2021

From the Sea to the Stars, from theLuminosity series, 2019. Poured mulberry paperwork with phosphorescent pigment and gold leaf. Courtesy of the artist, TL15.2025.1.

With deep roots in the making of traditional Korean paper, or hanji, Lee has expanded this craft, esteemed for centuries throughout East Asia, into contemporary art. She transforms hanji techniques into vehicles for self-expression through sculptures, installations, books, and textiles. Lee uniquely integrates living cultural heritage and an ecological consciousness in her artistic practice and demonstrates commitment to creation through community with regular teaching and workshops.

An Oberlin College graduate, Lee’s early career led her to Korea on Fulbright fellowships where she broke into the male-dominated hanji world. There, she mastered traditional techniques including natural dyeing, calligraphy, paper weaving/basketry (jiseung), and paper fusing (joomchi). Lee authored the award-winning book Hanji Unfurled and, at Cleveland’s Morgan Conservatory, established America’s first hanji studio, making use of their paper mulberry gardens.

Multi, 2023. Ink, relief prints of beaten and laced paper mulberry bark, and natural dye on hanji, thread. Courtesy of the artist, TL10.2025.2.

Sample Book Series III, 2024. Mixed Media.

Based in Brooklyn but deeply connected to her artistic heritage as the third generation in a distinguished line of Chinese artists, Lin creates works that embody the paradoxical nature of her medium. She transforms Xuan 宣 [SHWEN] paper and ink—materials used for centuries in Chinese painting and calligraphy—into powerful sculptural works that challenge perceptions of fragility and strength. Through processes of molding, casting, crumpling, and layering paper, Lin responds to both the industrial textures of her Brooklyn surroundings and architectural memories of her Beijing upbringing.

Her work blurs boundaries between painting and sculpture, preservation and transformation, as it captures impressions of urban fragments. Lin has argued that her practice embodies traditional Chinese principles of balance—yin and yang, softness and strength, presence and absence—creating seemingly ephemeral works where viewers encounter the physical texture of memory.

All Streets, 2011. Ink and Xuan paper under plexiglass. Courtesy of the artist, TL5.2025.6.