Four years ago, doctors gave Hannah Woo alarming news. One of her kidneys had shrunk, becoming significantly smaller than the other. As a result, “I found myself focusing on feelings of loss and possessiveness,” said Woo. “This led to the creation of a series of fabric bags that mimicked the shapes of various organs.” The artist is now 35, and her fabric sculptures of kidneys, uteri, hippocampi, and blood vessels have propelled her to stardom. In August, at Frieze Seoul, she presented The Great Ballroom, a large-scale installation that featured an embroidered curtain hung from the ceiling in the shape of sagging breasts. The piece won her the art fair’s inaugural Artist Award. This month, Woo is exhibiting new two-dimensional works at the West Bund Art & Design Fair, in Shanghai, alongside emerging artists such as Choi Yoonhee and Hwang Sueyon. “While my sculptures usually represent protagonists … these works portray the world in which they reside.” —Elena Clavarino