675 jewelry pieces from Korea and Austria on display at SeMoCA's sprawling 'Beyond Adornment'

“Beyond Adornment" at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art showcases Korean and Austrian art, shedding light on the artistic differences and similarities between the two countries.

Reporters look around “Beyond Adornment,” an exhibition featuring Korean and Austrian contemporary jewelry at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art in central Seoul on Monday. [YONHAP]

After 132 years of diplomatic relations between Korea and the faraway nation of Austria, the two countries have found something in common that they both excel at: jewelry.

Throughout history, their shapes and forms have always differed, serving as indicators of wealth and status or fashion statements. At times, artists were experimental and explored the potential of jewelry’s connection to the human body. But universally and ultimately, the craftsmanship behind jewelry has elevated the genre as a true art.

An exhibition dedicated to Korean and Austrian jewelry made its debut on Tuesday at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art (SeMoCA) in central Seoul. Titled “Beyond Adornment,” the show features 675 jewelry pieces from 111 artists or teams from both countries, a scale unprecedented in Korea.

Installation view of “Beyond Adornment,” an exhibition featuring Korean and Austrian contemporary jewelry at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art in central Seoul [SEOUL MUSEUM OF CRAFT ART]

Susanne Angerholzer, art curator and spouse of the Austrian ambassador to Korea, proposed the idea of the exhibition when she first came to Seoul with her husband in 2020 and visited an art gallery in Apgujeong-dong in Gangnam District, southern Seoul.

“I was stunned by the beauty of Korean jewelry,” she said during a press conference at SeMoCA on Monday. “Not once have I forgotten about the excellent taste Korea has in its jewelry since then. I hope that this exhibition conveys that same impression to a larger audience and helps Korean jewelry receive the attention it so much deserves.”

The exhibition sheds light on early contemporary jewelry in Korea and Austria since the 1970s. The artists of the two nations differed in their political stances. Austrian jewelers tended to be more openly feminist and incorporated those views into their pieces while sometimes being critical. Korean artists were more metaphoric in jewelry, expressing themes related to the human body and nature while applying their experiences abroad as well.

Since then, both countries' jewelry have expanded in terms of themes, materials and techniques. The museum organized artists and their pieces under the categories of body, nature and narrative — but even within those categories, the differences between Korea's and Austria's styles are evident.

″ms5″ (2009) by Lee Kwang-sun [SEOUL MUSEUM OF CRAFT ART]

For example, Korean artists featured in the body category tend to focus on the wearability of their pieces. Lee Kwang-sun's bracelets made from metal and silicone are one example: The spiky, yet flexible material pops in and out according to the thickness of the wearer's wrist.

“The fact that my bracelets change shape depending on who wears it, every time, reflects the changes in a relationship,” Lee said.

Many of the Austrian works, instead, aim to challenge gender roles and stereotypes surrounding the human body. Michelle Kraemer’s “Have You Got the Guts?” (2011), a disturbing necklace with a skin-like surface of blobs, detailed with veins and age spots, depicts jewelry as an extension of the self.

“Have You Got the Guts?” (2011) by Michelle Kraemer [MICHELLE KRAEMER]

“Yes, of Course I Need Acceptance” (2017) by Nadine Pramhas [SHIN MIN-HEE]

Nadine Pramhas questions the notion of an "ideal" body shape and challenges urges to reduce women to body parts with her gold-plated clay object “Yes, of Course I Need Acceptance” (2017), photographed atop a pair of legs to eliminate their "thigh gap."

Anna Riess’s belt ornament “Belly Bacon” (2018) welcomes all bodies, regardless of shape, size — and belly fat, as its wearer is enveloped in a silver blanket depicting bodily folds.

″Belly Bacon” (2018) by Anna Riess [SHIN MIN-HEE]

That isn’t to say that all Korean artists disregarded body parts. Some incorporated them directly into their jewelry.

Chun Eun-mi’s necklaces that are reminiscent of bird wings were made from the small intestines of cows. The artist compressed them herself, numerous times, to turn them into a parchment-like material. Chun would then mix them with other unusual substances, such as gilded strands of hair. The artist was named a finalist for the 7th edition of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize earlier this year.

″Wing of Eagle″ (2018) by Chun Eun-mi [SEOUL MUSEUM OF CRAFT ART]

The collection numbers hundreds more pieces, some looking like insects and others like miniature architectural structures. Even 3-D printing and recyclable materials are on view.

An interactive video, called the “Matching Jewellery” section, allows visitors to stand in front of a screen and camera, which scans the visitor’s outfit and recommends a jewelry piece from the exhibition that will match the color of the clothes.

The Korea JoongAng Daily's reporter, who was wearing a black cardigan and light khaki pants on Monday, was recommended the brown wooden ornament piece “Draw a Line” (2017) by Hong Ji-hee.

“Beyond Adornment” continues until July 28. SeMoCA is open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. excluding Mondays. Hours extend to 9 p.m. on Fridays. Admission is free.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]