Jia Sung
Four Hands Embroidery x Jia Sung: Bridging Watercolor and Textile Art
June 2024
Four Hands Embroidery had the exciting opportunity to collaborate with New York-based artist Jia Sung for her first solo exhibition with Island 83 Gallery, titled The Tree of Heaven Falls. This show marks a significant milestone in Sung’s career, bringing together a dynamic body of work across painting and large-scale textiles.
Translating Sung’s intricate watercolor paintings into embroidery was both a creative and technical challenge for the Four Hands team. They developed 14 embroidered pieces, using primarily gradient fills to capture the fluidity and depth of Sung’s original artwork. These embroidered elements were then thoughtfully incorporated into Sung’s larger mixed-media works, adding texture and dimension to her visually rich narratives.
One of the standout pieces in the exhibition, Zodiac Girl, reimagines the medieval “Zodiac Man” through the lens of Daoist mysticism. Sung masterfully blends Chinese zodiac imagery with Daoist anatomical diagrams, merging Eastern and Western influences within the traditional European medical astrology format. This work is a powerful example of how cultural histories and symbolic systems can be reinterpreted through contemporary art.
This collaboration also marked a first for Jia Sung—integrating digital embroidery alongside her signature hand embroidery. The blending of traditional techniques with modern technology allowed for greater complexity and nuance in translating her watercolor designs into textile form.
The Tree of Heaven Falls reflects Sung’s ongoing exploration of myth, mysticism, and storytelling. The integration of embroidery into her work not only enhanced the tactile quality of the pieces but also deepened the layers of narrative and symbolism.
Four Hands Embroidery was honored to contribute to this groundbreaking exhibition, helping bring Jia Sung’s vision to life through a thoughtful blend of craftsmanship and innovation. This partnership demonstrates the endless possibilities when fine art and textile artistry intersect.
