South Korean artist Kimsooja, known for her conceptual works including bottari, the traditional Korean fabric bundle, has been awarded the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government.

She received the award at the French ambassador’s residence in Seoul on Thursday, marking her second decoration by the French Ministry of Culture after the Insignia of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters she was awarded in 2017.
 
The order recognizes eminent artists and writers, as well as people who have contributed significantly to furthering the arts in France and throughout the world, and has three grades: knight, officer and commander.
 
Based in Seoul and Paris, Kimsooja is a multidisciplinary conceptual artist whose work combines light, photography, video, sound, performance, installation and more.

After she studied art at Hong-ik University in Seoul, she studied lithography at the École des Beaux-Arts in 1984, and has since been creating various works in France for more than 40 years. 
 
Last year, she was invited as the first Korean artist to hold a solo exhibition at Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection, a private art museum in the French capital.