Dahyeon Yoo’s woven leather craft comes to Kyoto and Tokyo

Dahyeon Yoo’s hands move through leather as others move through cloth, building texture through the elemental act of weaving. The Seoul based leather craftsman, named a finalist for the LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize in 2024, brings this meditative practice to Japan for the first time across two exhibitions: one opening now at HIN Arts & Science in Kyoto’s Nijo district, and another arriving in Tokyo’s Aoyama on December 5th.

The works displayed throughout both venues speak to a quiet philosophy of balance. At HIN Kyoto, the exhibition centres on pieces rendered in light brown leather, their surfaces alive with the crosshatch patterns that emerge from Yoo’s signature weaving technique. The Harmony series of boxes stack like sculptural statements, each one a study in proportion and rhythm. Beside them sit bags from the Jurumak collection, inspired by the forms of traditional Korean domestic vessels and tools. These pieces retain the rawness of their making: leather straps wrap around woven cores, creating handles and structure that feel almost geological in their layered complexity.

What distinguishes Yoo’s work is its refusal of decoration. Every pattern, every texture, every line exists because the making demanded it. The tonal palette of browns and blacks allows the eye to rest on surface and form alone. In Aoyama, a different theme will unfold, offering a distinct perspective on the same body of practice.

Dahyeon Yoo will be present at the Aoyama opening on December 5th. HIN Kyoto’s exhibition runs through November 16th, with the gallery closed Tuesdays. Aoyama opens December 5th through 14th, also closed Tuesdays. Book directly with either location for further details.

Imagery courtesy of Arts & Science (@arts_and_science).