Biography

Dr. Hee Sook Lee-Niinioja was born in South Korea. After a BA degree in journalism at Ewha Womans University in her country, she became an Asian pioneer in Scandinavia in 1975, studying art and design at the Norwegian National College of Art and Design. She continued with another MA in visual communication at Syracuse University (USA), while her PhD was in architecture at Oxford Brookes University (UK).

She has been working as an artist/designer/journalist/scholar and holding many exhibitions titled “Goethe in Me” across the globe. Moreover, she volunteered for humanitarian work, such as prisons and tsunami victims (2004), as well as lecturing at different institutes and being a member of the Finnish diplomatic corps during her stay abroad. She wrote numerous articles in newspapers, magazines, and journals and presented academic papers at international conferences.

Dr. Lee-Niinioja specializes in “creative but logical thinking," “text-image in communication and interpretation,” “comparison of Hindu-Buddhist, Christian, and Islamic architecture," and "heritage," hoping to enhance dialogues between different religions through common but unique interpretations of cultural heritages in current conflicted societies.

Since her return to Finland in 2007, she has devoted herself to research, artwork, journalism, book projects, and paper reviews, including activities such as the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee (ICOMOS-ICICH) and other international organizations. 

Degrees

PhD
Oxford Brookes, Oxford, UK
MA
Syracuse University, Syracuse, USA
BA & MA
National College of Art and Design, Oslo, Norway
BA
Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea

Current Positions

scholar/journalist/artist/designer
Independent-Helsinki, ICOMOS-ICICH (President 2017-20), IPI (International Press Institute), WAMU-NET (Global Network for Water Museums)

Dissertations and Theses

Title: The Continuity of Pre-Islamic Motifs in Javanese Mosque Ornamentation, Indonesia
Type: Ph.D. Dissertation
University: Oxford Brookes University
Department: Architecture

Areas of Interest

  • Architecture and Architectural History
  • Art and Art History
  • Composition
  • Cultural History / Studies
  • Fine Arts
  • Historic Preservation
  • Humanities
  • Islamic History / Studies
  • Journalism and Media Studies
  • Literature
  • Research and Methodology
  • Visual Studies