Aldrich Museum In Ridgefield To Present Jennie Jieun Lee’s First Solo Museum Show

RIDGEFIELD, CT — The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum will host the first solo museum exhibition of artist Jennie Jieun Lee, titled "Luteal Elements and Grooves," from Jan. 25 through May 26, 2026.

The show will feature a new body of work created specifically for The Aldrich museum, including Lee’s largest textile piece to date and four large-scale sculptures constructed from salvaged kilns. A printed catalogue will accompany the exhibition and include an interview between Lee and Chief Curator Amy Smith-Stewart.

Born in Seoul and based in New York’s Sullivan County, Lee blends influences from her Korean heritage and American upbringing. Her experimental ceramic and textile works explore identity, memory, and trauma through an eclectic mix of techniques, including airbrushing, wheel throwing, and painterly glazing.

Among the exhibition’s focal points is "Marie" (2022), a recreation of the tomb of 19th-century spiritual icon Marie Laveau. Visitors will be invited to participate in a ritual traditionally observed at the real tomb in New Orleans by marking an “X” and leaving offerings.

The new kiln-based sculptures, created in collaboration with artist Graham Collins, act as display structures for Lee’s ceramic pieces. One draws inspiration from rocket kilns developed by ceramicist Lisa Orr. Surrounding the installations will be Lee’s immersive textile printed with impressions of her signature brushwork.

Lee’s work has been shown at institutions and galleries in New York, Los Angeles, Sweden, and Toronto. She is a Guggenheim Fellow and teaches at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University.

The exhibition is organized by Amy Smith-Stewart and supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, among other contributors.