Jewelry Artist Kim Holds Exhibit
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Seoul has recently seen world-famous jewelry houses like Van Cleef & Arpels and Tiffany & Co. show off their stunning jewelry designs in exhibitions this year. A growing number of Korean artists are also dabbling in jewelry art and design.
Kim Jung-ji, an artist working in both Korea and the United Kingdom, is holding her first solo jewelry exhibition ``Unmoulded'' at the Gana Art Space in Insa-dong, Seoul.
``To me, jewelry is something between sculpture and garment. My pieces are functional as they are intended for bodily ornament, yet they may also be seen as sculptural pieces in which special relations between mass and void or linear and solid are exactingly constructed,'' she said, in the exhibition catalogue.
The exhibit features Kim's innovative brooches, necklaces, rings and bracelets made of sterling silver and gold. Her intricately woven and textured pieces appear to be inspired by nature.
Kim said she likes to use materials and present them in ``unexpected ways while retaining all their beauty, and achieving comfort and wearability.'' ``I love the idea that the work interacts with the body and its movement, generating a vitality sometimes lost by static display on a shelf,'' she added.
Kim has a bachelor's degree in Jewelry from Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design, and a master's degree in Goldsmith, Silversmith, Metal Work and Jewelry from the Royal College of Art. She has participated in-group exhibitions in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Munich and New York.
She is also a part time lecturer at Seoul National University of Technology, Sungkyunkwan University and Hongik University.
The exhibition runs through April 29. For information, call (02) 734-1333.