Arts Thread

Minjeong Kim
Jewellery & Metal MA

Royal College of Art

Graduates: 2024

Specialisms: Contemporary Craft / Jewelry / Sculpture

My location: London, United Kingdom

minjeong-kim ArtsThread Profile
Royal College of Art

Minjeong Kim

minjeong-kim ArtsThread Profile

First Name: Minjeong

Last Name: Kim

University / College: Royal College of Art

Course / Program: Jewellery & Metal MA

Graduates: 2024

Specialisms: Contemporary Craft / Jewelry / Sculpture

My Location: London, United Kingdom

Website: Click To See Website

About

Minjeong Kim is an artist based in Seoul and London working with various body installation work.She explores the depth of human existence, both individually and socially, by interweaving and overlapping different sensations that morph over time. Through themes of barriers, symbolizing, and the ephemeral nature of existence, she aims to unveil the complex tapestry of societal relationships.Starting from these body experiential senses also ends on the body understanding as the jewellery itself questioning what the jewellery is beyond the adornment for this current society.

This project originates from material research. Upon relocating to a new environment, I noticed that amount of hand soap was decreasing with noticeable speed, which led me to realise my obsession with handwashing. This prompted me to contemplate whether the act of handwashing genuinely matters in terms of cleanliness itself or if the psychological comfort it provides is more significant. Observing hesitating to examine my clean hands under a microscope, I realised that this behaviour occurred because of a psychological dependency. Consequently, I shifted my focus towards elements that cause psychological discomfort rather than physical uncleaness. My research expanded beyond the relationship between soap and skin to encompass textiles that function like a second skin. I began comparing the fabrics of my clothing, which are constantly in contact with my body, to external fabrics, such as those covering underground seats. This exploration led to a broader material research project. The dark-coloured fabric covering underground seats, which likely appears to be filled with dust and is not clean, causes me significant stress and stimulates a strong desire to wash my hands. To address this, I began a project replacing this fabric with transparent material to highlight the importance of maintaining cleanliness in this environment.