For me, contemporary jewelry is a medium that blends traditional nostalgia with futuristic potential. Ji Young Kim interviewed by Klimt02

Tell us about your background. What were your first influences to be creative and become an artist, and what has drawn you to contemporary jewellery?
For many years, I worked as a writer in Korean mass media, but over time, I felt the urge to tell my own stories rather than creating content tailored to public demand. My career in media was well-respected, yet I realized I wasn’t truly myself. That’s when, by chance, I met a mentor who introduced me to contemporary jewelry. This opened my eyes to the possibility of telling stories through a visual medium, and I immediately felt a strong connection to this form of expression. I made the bold decision to pause my established career and start over completely, enrolling in a jewelry design program in Kookmin University MFA. Many people around me thought I was taking an unnecessary risk, but I had no regrets. With my background in media education, I began to see jewelry as a tactile, intimate medium that could connect people in unique and meaningful ways.

Ji Young Kim in her workshop


Marshall McLuhan once said, “The medium is the message.” For me, contemporary jewelry is a medium that blends traditional nostalgia with futuristic potential. It creates a powerful moment of connection when it touches the body. This tactile interaction—brief yet profound—is what drew me to this field. In Korean, we often use the verb “chada” when describing wearing jewelry, This word is of course being translated as 'wear', but it has another meaning in homophony. It means fill. which highlights a deeper, emotional interaction with the object and I found it many people overlooked. When I came across this realization of homonym during my thesis preparation at the university. That is a kind of discovery for me. This linguistic distinction inspired me to think of jewelry as something that could fill not only external spaces but also invisible, emotional voids. As if discovering a long-hidden secret, I was seized with the desire to create trinkets that could fill the invisible void in the heart. 

My approach to jewelry combines these linguistic and emotional insights with a love for storytelling. Each piece I create is not just a "thing" but a dynamic medium for connection. Because my hope is that my jewelry becomes a “verb,” an action that bridges the visible and invisible, filling lives with meaning long after I’m gone. To me, contemporary jewelry was not just an art form but a way to communicate.


How has your work changed over the past few years and what are you excited about these days?
I recall an incident where a curator from another country emailed me, concerned that a piece they received seemed loose and unstable. That moment made me realize I needed to communicate my ideas more in detail. Technically, my works incorporate kinetic elements that are deliberately left unfixed, creating subtle movement. It's not that tinkering has failed. : ) I use gaps, reflections, shadows, and hidden or dual structures to express these concepts.
My work intentionally leaves certain components in flux, highlighting interaction and transformation.
Also, that the foundation of my work lies in the concept of "discovery." For me, discovery is not necessarily about finding something entirely new but about reinterpreting things we thought we already knew. This belief has been at the core of how my work has evolved over the years.

A key discovery I made relates to the Korean language and how it describes wearing jewelry. In Korean, we often use the verb "to fill" (*chada*) instead of the English "to wear." This subtle linguistic difference reflects how we perceive the interaction between jewelry and the body—not just as decoration but as a means of filling an emotional space. This realization felt like uncovering the “hidden side of the moon” and has profoundly influenced my artistic approach. It opened up new possibilities for storytelling through jewelry, inspiring me to explore language as a medium of expression.

The narrative of my work has also evolved. Initially, I focused on the contrast between the front and back of a piece, then moved to designs where every side could be the "front." I have since created pieces where it is unclear whether they are objects or jewelry, challenging conventional definitions. My works often feature hidden compartments or concealed elements that require human intervention to reveal. This interaction transforms the object into something personal, imbuing.

Ji Young Kim. Brooch: OCD , O~CD (obsessive compulsive disorder), 2017. From Back of the Moon Series. 92.5 silver , steel, film, my memory of last 5 years. 



Ji Young Kim. Brooch: Between the Line, 2021. From Invisible Device Series. 92.5 silver, mother of pearl.


I’ve been exploring different techniques such as corrosion finishing or creating visual movement by changing the metal’s physical properties to challenge their traditional stereotypes of being rigid and masculine. This corrosion phenomenon illustrates borrowing time from the future by accelerating its decay. Furthermore, by hand-weaving metal lines thinner than 1mm, I create soft, flexible textures, imbuing the material with tension and elasticity. This process has been both exciting and fulfilling, as it allows me to redefine the physical properties of metal while enhancing the sensory experience of my work.

Ji Young Kim. Brooch: Invisible pin, 2023. From Invisible Device Series. Red copper, 925 silver.

Ji Young Kim. Brooch: Shooting Star, 2023. From Elasticity Series. Steel alloy, natural pearl.


One of my ongoing questions is: where does jewelry end and objects begin? ( I’ve been working on pieces with hidden pins that blur the boundaries between jewelry and sculpture. For instance, if the pin is visible, we recognize it as jewelry, but if it’s hidden, does it cease to be jewelry?) This exploration excites me because it challenges traditional definitions and encourages viewers to rethink their perceptions.

My latest work involves giving metal a new sense of elasticity and experimenting with shapes that dissolve the boundaries between inside and outside. This research makes my heart race because it not only pushes technical limits but also deepens the emotional connection between the jewelry and its wearer. I believe these open-ended forms represent the essence of my journey—a continuous process of discovery and reinvention. I dream that I strive to create forms that are open-ended, allowing wearers to reimagine and redefine their meaning.