Heejoo Kim
Heejoo Kim is an applied artist and contemporary jewellery maker living and working in South Korea. Heejoo’s work is a reinterpretation of traditional craft art, expressing traditional techniques and philosophy with contemporary aesthetics.
What was the inspiration for your Steinbeisser pieces?
I’ve been crazy about the cone shape since almost 20 years ago. If you flip it upside down, it becomes a funnel shape. Images, stories, and history related to funnels are always fascinating to me. Buddhist monks in Korea wear cone-shaped hats when they dance in traditional rituals. My longstanding artistic theme matched well with the symbol of the monk.
Describe your work in 3 words!
Light. Calm. Deep.
What kind of materials do you use and where do you get them from?
I’m using Korean traditional oil paper and Ottchil. The paper is used for making Ondol indoor floors in Korean traditional house. I used to buy the paper in special markets. And Ottchil is also a traditional material, it is extracted from special trees. Ottchil has been used for thousands years in Asian countries to protect furnitures, cutleries and other objects from humidity and insect damages.
Which conscious lifestyle choices are you making and are you considering any new ones?
My way is not new. I just try not to be too greedy. I am especially critical of eating too much food. As life in the city always does, I feel guilty about the ingredients and foods that I easily get and throw away. So although I’m not a vegetarian, but I refrain from eating recklessly.
What have you rebelled against in the past and what are you rebelling against now?
I resist the hegemony that the past must be overthrown. Progression is possible in many ways, both in personal development and human civilization.