Korea Now. Contemporary Jewelry from The Land of the Morning Calm in Santa Fe
Exhibition
/
09 May 2025
-
25 May 2025
Published: 05.05.2025
Patina Gallery
- Mail:
- projects
patina-gallery.com
- allison
patina-gallery.com
- Phone:
- +1 505 986 3432
- Management:
- Allison Buchsbaum
Brooch: Wood joinery
Maple, ebony, silver
12 x 6 x 2 cm
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.

A three-week art jewelry exhibition exploring the intersection of Korea’s modern innovation and timeless culture curated by Charon Kransen.
Artist list
Hyemin Ahn, Ji Hyeun Ahn, Junmin Bae, Sinae Baik, Youngji Chi, MinYeol Cho, Minjung Cho, Sung-Ho Cho, JaeWook Choi, YeJin Choi, Yoonjung Choi, SooHyun Chou, Ho-Yeon Chung, Eun-Seok Han, Sang-Deok Han, SeongHwan Hyun, Jiyoung Jang, Jeon Jin, Yuri Jin, Jenny Jung, Mina Kang, Hanna Kim, Hee-ang Kim, Jimin Kim, Kyeok Kim, Song Kim, Soo-Yeon Kim, SuJin Kim, Yeon-Kyung Kim, Yong Joo Kim, YooJung Kim, Saerom Kong, DongChun Lee, Namkyung Lee, Seon-Yong Lee, YeJee Lee, Yeonmi Lee, Young-Joo Lee, Jewoon Lim, Jong-Seok Lim, Choonsun Moon, Jieun Park, Joo-Hyung Park, Juhyung Park, Eunji Shin, Haesun Shin, Healim Shin, HyeJung Sin, Youjin Um, Jaesun Won, Jiwon Yang, JungGyu Yi, Ahmi Yu, Jiye Yun, JuYeon Yun
This exhibition offers a compelling glimpse into the distinctive Korean aesthetic, featuring over 50 Korean artists. Defined by meticulous detail, refined craftsmanship, and layered symbolism, each work of art reinterprets Korea’s cultural heritage through a contemporary lens, bridging innovation and tradition.
Contemporary jewelry in Korea emerged in the 1980s, led by metal artists trained abroad. As professors, they shaped a generation skilled in both technique and design. Blending global influences with local tradition, Korean artists developed a unique aesthetic—refined, symbolic, and expertly crafted.
Throughout the collection, artists play with different shapes and sizes, often exaggerated, to create structural jewelry— some resemble insects and others like miniature architectural structures. Elements include asymmetrical patterns and geometric shapes that combine an element of play with a modern minimalist aesthetic offering only a glimpse into the depth of Korea’s exceptional creative spirit. Each piece is designed as adornment for the body yet transcends mere decoration.
Despite their often intricate and organic compositions, each piece reveals a remarkable sense of innovation. Artists work intuitively with carefully selected materials, ranging from wood, Velcro, shell beads and silver brass to canvas, copper, silver enamel, and more, chosen not only for their physical qualities but also for their symbolic resonance. Their beauty lies not only in the precision of their craftsmanship but in the stories they embody.
Many works draw on references to Korean culture: repetitive structures that echo traditional architecture, natural and animal motifs that express the inner self or the soul of the object, and a constant pursuit of duality, harmony, and purity that reflects a deeply rooted philosophy.
Opening: May 9 from 5:00 to 7:00pm.
Hourly:
Monday - Friday: 11 am – 5 pm.
Saturday and Sunday: 11 am – 5 pm.
Contemporary jewelry in Korea emerged in the 1980s, led by metal artists trained abroad. As professors, they shaped a generation skilled in both technique and design. Blending global influences with local tradition, Korean artists developed a unique aesthetic—refined, symbolic, and expertly crafted.
Throughout the collection, artists play with different shapes and sizes, often exaggerated, to create structural jewelry— some resemble insects and others like miniature architectural structures. Elements include asymmetrical patterns and geometric shapes that combine an element of play with a modern minimalist aesthetic offering only a glimpse into the depth of Korea’s exceptional creative spirit. Each piece is designed as adornment for the body yet transcends mere decoration.
Despite their often intricate and organic compositions, each piece reveals a remarkable sense of innovation. Artists work intuitively with carefully selected materials, ranging from wood, Velcro, shell beads and silver brass to canvas, copper, silver enamel, and more, chosen not only for their physical qualities but also for their symbolic resonance. Their beauty lies not only in the precision of their craftsmanship but in the stories they embody.
Many works draw on references to Korean culture: repetitive structures that echo traditional architecture, natural and animal motifs that express the inner self or the soul of the object, and a constant pursuit of duality, harmony, and purity that reflects a deeply rooted philosophy.
Opening: May 9 from 5:00 to 7:00pm.
Hourly:
Monday - Friday: 11 am – 5 pm.
Saturday and Sunday: 11 am – 5 pm.
Patina Gallery
- Mail:
- projects
patina-gallery.com
- allison
patina-gallery.com
- Phone:
- +1 505 986 3432
- Management:
- Allison Buchsbaum
-
From Louise Bourgeois to Yoko Ono. Jewellery by Female Artists
21Nov2025 - 26Apr2026
MAKK. Museum of Applied Arts Cologne
Köln, Germany -
Companions: Jewellery Created by Alexander Blank
25Jul2025 - 05Oct2025
Pforzheim Jewellery Museum
Pforzheim, Germany -
The 21st Silver Triennial at DIVA: an International Perspective on Contemporary Silver
04Jul2025 - 30Sep2025
DIVA. Museum for diamonds, jewellery and silver
Antwerp, Belgium -
Hunter of Unrecognized Treasures by Philipp Spillmann
28Jun2025 - 26Jul2025
Friends of Carlotta
Zurich, Switzerland -
Incontro with Vera Siemund and Giampaolo Babetto
28Jun2025 - 29Jun2025
Galerie Rosemarie Jäger
Hochheim, Germany -
LAO Graduation Show 2024-2025
26Jun2025
Le Arti Orafe
Florence, Italy -
The Art of Pearls by Eiji Uemura
24Jun2025 - 28Jun2025
Gallery Max New York
New York, United States -
흑은백 黑銀白 : Gentle Resonance
19Jun2025 - 03Jul2025
Siat Gallery
Seoul, South Korea -
Central Saint Martins. Degree Show 2025
19Jun2025 - 22Jun2025
Central Saint Martins, BA (Hons) Jewellery Design
London, United Kingdom -
Sint Lucas Antwerp. Graduation Tour 2025
18Jun2025 - 22Jun2025
Sint Lucas Antwerpen
Antwerp, Belgium -
Tresors 2025: Òpera Prima
14Jun2025 - 25Jul2025
TASMANIA, Taller de Joies & Galeria
Granollers, Spain -
Confluence
13Jun2025 - 21Jun2025
Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. Artesis Plantijn University College
Antwerp, Belgium -
The Oher Side of the Pond by Sarah Pulvertaft and Sian Evans
07Jun2025 - 25Jul2025
Jewelers' Werk Galerie
Washington, United States -
Le Picnic by Aurélie Guillaume
07Jun2025 - 12Jul2025
Galerie Noel Guyomarc'h
Montreal, Canada -
New Design from Düsseldorf
07Jun2025 - 10Jun2025
Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences, Peter Behrens School of Arts, New Craft Object Design
Düsseldorf, Germany