Mariah Bintliff

"I started collecting scraps of fabric from hand-me-down clothing, antique linens, and my mother’s tattered scarf that lay hidden in a box of memories. When collecting these, I didn’t have a plan, I just couldn’t bear to get rid of them. Each piece had its own sentiment and a story that I knew I would one day share.

A new life for these remnants came to fruition when I discovered Bojagi. One evening, I happened across Artist Youngmin Lee’s beautiful work and was enraptured by the symbolism inherent to the practice. I immediately resonated with her work, because it expressed that Bojagi is a symbol of Korean heritage, mindfulness, sustainability, and most of all, storytelling.

I believe there is a fine balance between tradition and innovation. When done thoughtfully, artists are able to keep traditions alive by making them their own and sharing their stories through the work.

I want to continue to gain knowledge and experience of the traditional art form and the history that lies within each stitch. I then plan to expand on Bojagi and make it my own through various techniques and applications. With deep respect to the traditional methods of Bojagi and the practice as a whole, I believe that reimagining some aspects can shed a light on this historic art practice and introduce new audiences to Korean culture."