Yong-il Jeon

 

1.
Jewelry consists of small art objects designed to be worn on the body, including brooches, necklaces, earrings, rings, and bracelets. As a major element in human life for millennia, jewelry has performed various functions both as everyday items and as art objects. One manifestation of the decorative instinct to adorn the body and clothing is jewelry that embodies wishes for blessings or to ward off evil. It has also served as a symbol to define the identity of an individual or group or demonstrate power and authority, and further as an indicator of religious affiliation and commitment. Jewelry made of rare or otherwise valuable materials, commonly precious metals and gems, has been used as currency and a means of accumulating wealth. Today, it is also considered one aspect of a version of commercialism that forces upon us a certain vision of femininity and encourages consumption. These multi-dimensional roles and functions demonstrate the abundance of meanings and symbolism that have been compounded within such small, delicate objects. At present, a type referred to as contemporary jewelry(1) or art jewelry isprogressing as a cultural expression, adding new meanings to the existing significance of jewelry.

 

2.
Starting around the mid-twentieth century, jewelry opened a new chapter based on the creative production. Rather than metalwork masters with professional expertise in manipulating gold, silver, and other precious materials, artists who had received a formal art education appeared as prominent new jewelry-makers. Contemporary jewelry, which first emerged in Europe roughly in the early 1960s, became a medium of individual artist-led creations within the context of contemporary art and transformed into a more autonomous visual medium. Over the past fifty-some years, contemporary jewelry has witnessed radical changes unprecedented in the history of jewelry.

It was also around this time that the university education system began to take over the training of new jewelry artists. Jewelry courses were offered as part of metalwork education at prominent art universities and, as a result, a succession of artists who had been baptized into diverse radical art movements appeared in the realm of jewelry. Consumers seemed to take an interest and once they showed a willingness to purchase the jewelry of these emerging artists, galleries specializing in jewelry began to open in Europe and the United States. Books and magazines also began to be published, initiating a discourse on contemporary jewelry and artists. This “new” jewelry even began to be collected by public art museums.
In the twentieth century, traditional metalwork centering on silverware had to compete with high-quality industrial products, eventually giving way to the world of daily items. Amidst this worrisome situation, the new jewelry embracing the contemporary aesthetic discourse established itself as a major pillar of contemporary metalwork.

The aestheticist trend in new jewelry continued to evolve, showing a dialectic process that both coexists and conflicts with previous trends devoted to body-based ornamentation and craft-based jewelry techniques. The contemporary jewelry movement that developed in Europe soon spread globally. It began to unfold in Korea approximately thirty years later.

 

3.
The development of contemporary jewelry in Korea can be considered to have begun in the 1980s. Korean craft boasts an extensive history tracing back more than 1,500 years, but the connection between this tradition and contemporary jewelry can be considered weak at best. Only after the passing of the first half of the twentieth century, marked by the Japanese occupation (1910–1945) and the Korean War (1950–1953), and then the 1960s and 70s, which witnessed the establishment of modern Korean art, could craft valuing contemporary aesthetics and sensibilities rise to prominence in mediums including ceramics, wood, fiber, and metal. By the mid-1980s these changes began to be witnessed in the field of jewelry, which had up until then remained simply a sub-genre of metalwork.

Until then, the term “jewelry” conjured in Korean minds the tradition of yemul, or wedding gifts offered by the bridegroom’s family to the bride. These normally included a jewelry set comprising a ring, earrings, and necklace made with precious metals and stones. “New jewelry” began to emerge in Korea around this time along with “jewelry artists”, and exhibitions showcasing jewelry began to be organized by galleries that had previously focused purely on fine art. This introductory period of contemporary jewelry was ushered in mainly by metalworking artists who had returned home after studying abroad. Many of these artists studied both metalwork and jewelry and then assumed professorships at prominent universities in Korea. They subsequently trained students in both fields. Some of the major figures among the first generation of those who studied abroad and returned to Korea in the early 1980s include Seung-hee Kim and Lizzy Yoo (the United States); Sung-won Martha Lee and Yae-Kyung Choo (Germany); and Jin-soon Woo (Sweden). These individuals came to exert a substantial influence. Despite the presence of other metal artists who were active in the country at the time, their mediated international influence played a crucial role in driving innovation in Korea.(2)

This period also witnessed the initiation of active international exchanges. The American metalsmith Jack da Silva offered lectures in Korea for two years starting in 1982, and British goldsmith Stephen Bort did so for six years beginning in 1983. A large-scale exhibition showcasing the work of fifty-seven American jewelers was held at the Walker Hill Art Museum (the present-day Art Center Nabi) in 1986. This same year, prominent American figures from the fields of metalwork and jewelry were invited to Korea for an international workshop, along with Korean jewelry artists offering live demonstrations of various techniques over four days. This workshop was met with great enthusiasm among Korean metalsmiths and jewelers who had been thirsting for new techniques. Komeila Hongja Okim, Professor of Metal Art at Montgomery College in the United States – who had traveled and worked extensively in both Korea and the United States, including completing several visiting professorships in Korea beginning in 1982 – also served as a bridge by introducing American metalwork and jewelry education in Korea and facilitating exchanges between the two countries.

Many students continued to pursue overseas study. In the 1980s, the United States was the most popular destination for studying abroad, whereas in the 1990s, the destinations expanded to include Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Consequently, bilateral exchanges with these countries increased.

 

4.
From the 1990s, jewelry education in Korea grew increasingly specialized, and jewelry emerged as an independent field. Unlike the previous generation that had pursued both metalwork and jewelry, new artists concentrated on the professional production of jewelry. Artists including Jung-hoo Kim, Jung-kyu Lee, Myung-joo Lee, Kwangsun Lee, Dongchun Lee, and Yeon-mi Kang comprised this first generation of specialized professional jewelers.(3) It is also during this period that Western contemporary jewelry, which had developed rapidly since the 1970s, began to be actively introduced to Korea. As a result, jewelry making came to occupy a more significant position than metalsmithing in metal art education during the new millennium, and numerous studio jewelers entered the field.

What is notable about the jewelry curriculum is the teaching of techniques and materials. This is also what serves as the basis for defining the overall characteristics of Korean contemporary jewelry. Importance was placed on the introduction and mastery of diverse varieties of production techniques in the education. The techniques taught had been widely sourced. Techniques acquired in the U.S., Europe, and Japan by first-generation metalsmiths after the 1980s accounted for part of this education. This early generation of metalsmiths who had studied overseas and brought back these techniques trained students in what they had picked up abroad and consulted a wide range of reference books, most of which had been published in English-speaking countries and Japan. Around 1990, books referencing these texts were being published by authors in Korea.(4)

Secondly, the curriculum also included time-honored Korean crafting techniques. Traditional jewelry and ornaments in Korea can be traced all the way back to the sixth century, but their link with contemporary jewelry is insignificant. However, some traditional craft techniques transmitted by certified practitioners of traditional crafts were in fact passed along to and utilized by contemporary jewelers. Traditional methods such as ipsa (silver inlay), keumboo (a gilding technique for applying thin sheets of gold to silver), and ottchil (lacquering) have found their way into contemporary Korean jewelry.

Thirdly, techniques from the industrial realm were drawn into the curriculum. Before the emergence of contemporary jewelry, commercial jewelry had established a solid foothold as a unique industrial field in the mid-twentieth century and had already developed a considerable technical expertise. Some commercial jewelry techniques related to the working of precious metals and stones were incorporated into the university curriculum.(5) These techniques were brought in by studio assistants with commercial jewelry experience who worked for the first generation of metalsmiths.

Such jewelry education with a curriculum built around technique has led contemporary Korean jewelers to establish the standard of prioritizing “well-made” work. A reliance on technique may count as a weakness, but the manual skills of Korean practitioners demonstrate a mastery of the material that is globally recognized as the greatest virtue of Korean jewelry.

 

 

5.
The most significant transformation in the field of jewelry since the start of the twenty-first century has been the explosive diversification of the materials involved. Although the above-mentioned development of a specialized, technique-based curriculum was most likely a product of the Korean education tradition and environment, the change in the materials used in jewelry production was led by the adoption of international trends.

The daring innovations involving the use of non-metal materials that began in Europe in the 1970s were matched in Korea starting in the 2000s. Jewelers concentrated their efforts on the discovery of their own unique materials, and it was often the case that the material chosen determined the characteristics of a work. This development and utilization of new materials led to an extension of the boundaries and diversity of contemporary jewelry and was accompanied by increased resonance with global audiences and their enthusiastic response. This shift was fueled by professors who actively exchanged information at the international level, effectively integrating Korean university education with European trends. For example, Dongchun Lee, who had studied in Germany in the 1990s, applied content and methods from European jewelry education at the time to a Korean curriculum, placing a particular focus on the study of materials. This expansion in materials opened a new chapter in the history of Korean jewelry. An infinite range of materials was embraced, including silicone, plastic, paper, felt, synthetic resin, textiles, and leather. This trend is demonstrated by artists who have continued to enjoy active careers both at home and abroad since the 2000s, including Hea-lim Shin, Hoyeon Chung, Jeonghye Park, Suyeon Kim, Choonsun Moon, Seulgi Kwon, Mina Kang, Yong-joo Kim, Yo-jae Lee, Ye-jee Lee, and Junmin Bae.

Dongchun Lee curated a number of key exhibitions dedicated to this expansion in materials. These special exhibitions, including Plastic, Plastic, Plastic (2004, 2017), Mythology of Material (2012), and Wood-Extended Life (2016), demonstrate how a wide range of materials beyond metals could be used in jewelry. From the mid-2000s, the expansion of materials was accepted as a natural phenomenon in Korean contemporary jewelry. It led to the rise of a new group of artists applying novel materials, a group relatively younger than the established jewelers who worked mainly with metal.

Contemporary jewelry education in Korea, which has undergone increasing specialization since 1990, has produced many jewelry artists since the mid-2000s. This has led to the establishment of a community of studio jewelers(6) for the first time in the country.

 

 

6.
Among the approximately 200 four-year colleges and universities in Korea, roughly fifty provide courses on crafts, and twenty of these offer undergraduate and graduate programs in metalworking and jewelry. Each year nearly one hundred obtain a degree in the fields of metalwork and jewelry, and more than half of these launch careers as jewelry artists. Even despite the recent consolidation of craft-related departments, a greater number of young artists are jumping into the field in Korea compared to in the U.S and Europe.

At present, there are few commercial establishments specializing in contemporary jewelry and its sale. In fact, Gallery O, a space in Seoul managed by the jeweler Mihwa Oh, is a rare venue that sells selected contemporary jewelry works throughout the year by both Korean and foreign artists on a regular basis. Gallery Baum, owned by the jeweler Jung-kyu Lee, is situated on the outskirts of Seoul and also focuses on contemporary jewelry. The space occasionally presents special exhibitions scattered across the year. Also Craft Ahwon, Gallery Sowyen, Space Duru, and Sanwoolim Art & Craft showcase and sell contemporary jewelry alongside other craftworks.

The Korea Craft and Design Foundation (KCDF) established in 2000 has contributed significantly to consolidating the infrastructure of craft that is rather unstable and weak overall. The KCDF organizes the nation’s largest annual craft fair and has made great achievements through various projects undertaken to introduce Korean artists to audiences overseas. Many jewelry artists have been able to take part in globally renowned art fairs and meet with local patrons, providing a driving force for elevating the accomplishment and value of Korean contemporary jewelry and inspiring further artistic production.

Meanwhile, Korean contemporary jewelers have been increasingly participating in international competitions and receiving due recognition. For example, Korean artists have been steadily appearing on the lists of prizewinners in various competitions and invitational exhibitions in Germany, including at the BKV-Prize (where Mina Kang was selected as the winner in 2012). The Art Jewelry Forum (AJF) in the United States boasts a global network of artists and organizations in the field and presents its AJF Prize to recognize an accomplished jeweler every year. Much to the surprise of many in the field, it went to Koreans consecutively in 2013 and 2014 (Sooyeon Kim and Seulgi Kwon, respectively). Another notable achievement is that two Korean jewelers – Kyeok Kim and Heeseung Koh – have been selected as finalists for the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, which was established in 2016. This year (2020), the Korean artist Junwon Jung was honored with the Friedrich Becker Prize– a triennial award established by the Society for Gesellschaft für Goldschmiedekunst (Association for Goldsmiths’ Art), Hanau in commemoration of Friedrich Becker, one of the greatest masters among the first-generation goldsmiths. Jung was selected from among 151 artists representing sixteen nations. Multiple media outlets, including the internationally-recognized Metalsmith magazine published in the United States, have recently featured articles on Korean jewelry, demonstrating the interest in the activities of Korean artists within the global arena.(7)

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, one of the leading museums in the country, organized the first large-scale exhibition showcasing contemporary jewelry in 2013. The exhibition brought together works by forty-four Korean contemporary jewelers and served as an important starting point for introducing contemporary jewelry to a more extensive audience.(8)

 

7.
Contemporary jewelry has produced the most rapid transformation and achievements in the Korean craft sphere despite being the last field to emerge. This was made possible by the active international exchanges pioneered by first-generation educators, abundant human resources, intensive education, and the keen efforts of the studio jewelers who emerged after the turn of the new millennium. In particular, the history of Korean contemporary craft had never before witnessed the establishment of a group of talented artisans and acquisition of so much global recognition in such a short period of time. However, beyond these achievements there lies a further challenge.

This is also related to the identity of contemporary jewelry. Over the past thirty or so years, Korean artists have devoted themselves to expressing more individualistic and aesthetic interests in accordance with the contemporary jewelry movement pioneered in Europe. Rather than focusing on visual harmony and the functionality of a work as an object adorning the body or clothing, they concentrated on the discovery of new materials, expression of physical properties, and a sense of freedom unbound by scale or form. Jewelry in the present day is met with questions as much as appraisal. Though contemporary jewelry is positively recognized for having established itself as an independent form of art by infinitely expanding the field’s potential for expression and moving beyond its supplementary role, it has drifted away from the values and harmonies that had accumulated over the course of history. There is thereby a concern that jewelry may remain an epigone of contemporary conceptual art.

The inherent duality of ornamentation and aesthetic exploration is the very charm of contemporary jewelry. Its functional and technological dependency is not a limitation, but rather what differentiates an object and establishes its identity as jewelry. In fact, the radical contemporary jewelry of Europe, which had viewed this dependency as shackles to be broken, was unable to succeed because it ultimately failed at repositioning itself after having been removed from its essence, the body.

The characteristics of jewelry that artists must define are directly related to more practical issues. In Korea, contemporary jewelers have been rapidly advancing without securing a consumer base capable of absorbing new jewelry trends and consumption. Creative activities that are not properly consumed in the society to which the jewelers belong are unsustainable no matter how much active international engagement and high valuation may take place. This is precisely the reason why Korean artists must understand social standards and conditions – apart from the aesthetic discourse – and incorporate them into their work.

Efforts to better understand the needs and expectations of a wide range of consumers in our society are necessary. Contemporary jewelry, which has sustained a human tradition while pursuing innovation, is a fascinating field that remains relatively unknown. The artistic vision and in-depth exploration of materials embodied in highly elaborate works of jewelry will offer a new kind of aesthetic experience to many. I hope that Korean contemporary jewelers, who have built up an exciting field of art despite a harsh surrounding environment, will continue to be warmly received by many people at home and abroad as they carry on their development while seeking ways to overcome the challenges that lie ahead.

 

Yong-il Jeon
Professor, Dept. of Metalwork and Jewelry,
College of Design, Kookmin University

 

 

 

 

 

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1. Contemporary jewelry refers to jewelry produced by individual artists from the 1960s onward. The term “art jewelry” is used in a similar manner.
2. These artists were preceded by what could be considered the first generation of contemporary metalcrafters in Korea, which was led by figures active as both artists and educators. These include Kwon-hee Shin, Yoon-woo Chang, Chan-kyun Kang, and Hyun-chil Choi. These pioneers of contemporary metalwork established the foundation for the education in jewelry that took place in following generations. Also, as artists of the same generation as those who studied abroad, Jung-sil Hong, Yeo-ok Kim, Jae-young Kim, and Kyung-hee Hong, among others, contributed to jewelry education.
3. Other first-generation jewelers who served as educators include Meeyeon Jang, Jin-Hwan Suh, Yujin Jo, and Jung-lim Lee.
4. Some examples include Metal Craft (Hollym, 1985) by Soon-hwa Kwak, Metalwork and Jewelry Making (Design House, 1994) by Yong-il Jeon, and Goldsmithing & Jewelry Making (Jewelry Woman, 1999) by Kyeong-a Kim and Jung-lim Lee.
5. Some among the first-generation metalsmiths hired studio assistants to help with the production of their work. Although the names of these assistants have not been revealed or recorded, they are mainly highly skilled artisans with commercial jewelry experience, and the techniques they had mastered were incorporated into the university curriculum through their employers or apprentices.
6. Professional jewelry artists, whose main source of income is their creative works, are called studio jewelers.
7. Due to the growing international interest in Korean contemporary jewelry, I, Yong-il Jeon was recently invited to provide an introductory lecture on Korean contemporary jewelry at three international venues – Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich, Germany (2017), Tongji University in Shanghai, China (2018), and Rundetaarne Hall in Copenhagen, Denmark (2019).
8. Ornamentation and Illusion, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, 2013* This essay was written for the foreword of 『Korean Contemporary Jewelry Chronicle – 100 Brooches』, (Dongchun Lee, Salt tree, 2020).
   Translation by Jangtongbang.

 

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Yong-il Jeon is a metalsmith based in Korea. He has been teaching both the theory and practice of craft at Kookmin University since 1990. His works have been presented in seven solo exhibitions and nearly 100 group exhibitions both at home and abroad. He is the author of the book Metalwork and Jewelry Making and the co-author of Encyclopedia of Design & Craft. He has contributed widely in writings on issues and artists in Korean and international craft. He curated Ornamentation and Illusion, the first contemporary jewelry exhibition ever to be presented at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. He has recently been invited to give lectures at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich, Germany (2017), Tongji University in Shanghai, China (2018), and Rundetaarne Hall in Copenhagen, Denmark (2019).

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