“OPEN MIND”

international contemporary jewelry exhibition-history and the new material

by guest curator

Kiwon Wang

CURATORIAL PROPOSAL

Objects of adornment have been a significant part of cultures around the world since the earliest recorded history. Whether impregnate with power, granted as a trophy of social status and wealth, or worn as personal decoration, jewelry communicates basic messages about who we are and for what we stand. In contemporary times, jewelry had moved beyond its ornamental roots-even beyond its role as a signifier- to become an art form that is no longer associated solely with any one defining characteristic. This shift was the result of an intense period of activity in the second half of the twentieth century, during which intellectual concepts became valued more than traditions of preciousness; the production of jewelry returned to the studio environment; artists brought broader artistic movement and significant influences to bear on their aesthetic. The jewelry made by artists worldwide this period challenged wearers and viewers alike to confront their ideas about art and personal adornment. The conflicts, contrasts, resolutions, and reconciliations that rose from these struggles defined, in essence, an entirely new field.

Goldsmiths feel themselves to be artists, just as sculptors or painters are, who create individual works of art for the human body. This means that their creations are a reflection of artistic as well as social conditions. For the wearer, this kind of jewelry signifies identification and communication to enter into an intensive dialogue through the medium of jewelry.

The way in which the new art of jewelry strives to relate to people on an individual level, while at the same time taking part in the artistic developments and trends of our time, continues to inform our understanding of jewelry as a sign of the times. The tendency toward new materials was one of the earliest to take hold.

The exclusive use of expensive materials became less important than any other age. Inexpensive and readily available materials such as synthetic resins, woods, fine steel, iron, ceramics, glass and textiles, either in combination with or instead of gold, silver, platinum, precious stones and pearls, found increasing popularity. Stones, chosen less for their material value than for their peculiar beauty, were treated by completely novel methods. Found objects were integrated; many pieces of jewelry assumed the character of objects, so becoming largely independent works of art whose original decorative function was sometimes renounced.

This art form, jewelry, enjoys high status due to the creativity of its designers and the growing interest of an art-conscious and design-aware public. Jewelry as an art form has already won abroad acceptance and it is to be hoped that the creativity of its designers and the interest of the public will be sustainable in the future.

A significant contribution to contemporary jewelry design has also been made by international designers who are carefully selected will exhibit their work in this exhibition, “open mind” that will attract interest worldwide. A new understanding and history of contemporary jewelry and the new material, titled as “open mind” will be displayed at the Sungkok Art Museum as a platform to educate public and museum goers. The contemporary jewelry exhibition has been exhibited very few times at the art institution especially museum environment in Korea: therefore, this exhibition will play a major role in the field of contemporary jewelry field.