Makers in Residence: Ema Shin

I am the third generation of a Korean family who immigrated to Japan in the 1930s. My family kept some traditional Korean furniture and garments that my grandfather would bring back to Japan after visiting family members in Korea. I grew up with these items in our home and was always fascinated by the designs and colours that held such great nostalgia for my grandfather. In my art practice I often create flower images and use colours influenced by Korean folk art.

For her Makers in Residence, Ema Shin will share her weaving process over a three-day period. The theme of the work Shin will be working on during her residency is the multi coloured rocks that often appear in Korean folk paintings with peony flowers. These folk paintings featuring unusual, coloured rocks remind the artist of her family in Japan and extended family in Korea, their determination and the hardships of their migration story.

Ema Shin is a Narrm/Melbourne based multidisciplinary artist who was born and grew up in Niigata, Japan. She studied printmaking at Tama Art University, Tokyo and completed a Master of Fine Art Degree at Aichi Prefectural Art University, Nagoya. Shin has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Japan, Korea, Australia, and other countries. Her experiences have included a residency at the Australian Tapestry Workshop and exhibitions that include McClelland National Small Sculpture Awards (finalist 2020), Victorian Craft Awards, Kate Derum Award for Small Tapestries (first prize 2017) and the Tamworth Textile Triennial exhibited at eleven locations nationally. Shin’s recent solo exhibition Hearts of Absent Women held at Counihan Gallery in early 2022 celebrated of the lives of women through her personal experiences of Japanese and Korean heritage and Australian society. Shin’s inter-disciplinary practice, contemporary application of historical techniques and use of tactile materials result in artworks that express femininity and sexuality.