Yong Joo Kim Wins the 2024 “Metalwork & Jewelry Award” Hosted by Korea Zinc

Artist list

Yong Joo Kim

The award ceremony will take place on Wednesday, December 11, at the Insa Art Center (6F) in Seoul, South Korea. Following the ceremony, an exhibition showcasing the winning artists’ major works will be held at the same venue until December 16.

Metalwork & Jewelry Award recognizes two outstanding Korean metalwork and jewelry artists under the age of 45. The award targets artists who have consistently demonstrated the potential and vision of contemporary metalwork & jewelry for over a decade. Each winner receives a prize of 10 million KRW, a commemorative plaque, and an opportunity for exhibitions and promotions. The selection process involves open nominations and two rounds of evaluation by the award committee to ensure fairness and transparency.

Established in 2013 to foster the growth of Korean contemporary metalwork, Metalwork & Jewelry Award has been supported by Korea Zinc. Since 2023, the company has directly organized the award’s judging process and related events. Through continuous awards and exhibitions, Korea Zinc supports the domestic crafts community and presents a new cultural development model by connecting businesses and cultural institutions.


About Yong Joo Kim  
A native of Seoul, Korea, Yong Joo Kim received her MFA in Jewelry and Metalsmithing from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and her BFA in Arts and Crafts from SookMyung Women’s University. She is a Society of Arts and Crafts (SAC) and NICHE award-winning artist with an extensive record of exhibitions across Europe, Asia, North  America, and Australia. Considered a pioneer in the use of hook-and-loop fasteners as material for art, She crosses the genre of installation art and wearable sculpture to explore a simple yet complex question: “What does it mean to survive?” 

Her work appears in the permanent collection of Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s Art Bank (MMCA), Seoul Museum of Craft Art, Pureun Cultural Foundation, and Velcro Group.



Contact info 
Yong Joo Kim: me@yongjookim.com
Curator | Senior Manager: Sohyoun Lee
Communications Team | Sustainability Management Division: sohlee@koreazinc.co.kr