Brooches Maketh Man

Artist list

Sungho Cho, Seongwhan Hyun, Jihyeon Jeon, Kyeok Kim, Yoojung Kim, Hyungchan Lee, Namkyung Lee, Ye-ji Lee, Angela Mini Jo, Joo Hyung Park, Healim Shin, Hyejung Shin, Jaesun Won

Kings and commanders, scholars and poets alike used jewelry to honor achievements, express affection, and articulate the subtleties of their inner lives. A brooch worn close to the heart served not merely as decoration, but as a visual phrase that conveyed what words could not.

As time passed, however, the tradition of male adornment gradually faded. In societies that valued restraint, uniformity, and modest conduct, ornamentation became increasingly distant from the role expected of men. With this shift, the visual vocabulary that had once accompanied men quietly disappeared.

The well-known phrase “Manners maketh man” emphasizes character and conduct as the foundation of one’s identity. Yet history also holds another mode of expression - a subtle visual language carried through small objects worn on the body. These understated gestures offered a way to organize and present one’s presence without the need for spoken words.

Brooches Maketh Man revisits this overlooked vocabulary of expression. Through brooches, lapel pins, and modest forms of ornament, the exhibition reflects on how men once used adornment as a natural means of presenting themselves - not as excessive embellishment, but as a considered and intentional choice.

In this exhibition, adornment functions as more than decoration. It becomes a way of defining one’s presence and clarifying identity in a visual form. The long-quiet language of male adornment returns here, finding renewed relevance in the present.


Visiting hours: Tuesday to Saturday, from 10:30 am to 18:00 h.