2018 Catalogue Archive

Fabricated from silicone, thread, pigment and paper, Korean artist Seulgi Kwon’s Wedding in the Pond exploits the lightness and translucency of intricately colored and patterned silicone to evoke natural forms; but this is a ring that conjures a vision of the natural world that is unsettlingly odd, beautiful but also subtly wrong in its mimicry of the plant and animal kingdoms. ‘I am inspired by nature’s infinite possibility of creation and the organic forms of microscopic organisms’, writes Kwon. ‘Using silicone, a synthetic material that can change in texture and transparency, I express the organic movement and shape of cells with their mysterious color and constantly changing forms.’ Kwon’s ring disturbs one of the traditional roles of adornment – to beautify the wearer – and instead offers the opportunity for a unique self-expression that is grounded in close attention to the microscopic and unusual realms of nature. Seulgi Kwon received her BFA and MFA in Metalwork and Jewelry from Kookmin University in Seoul, Korea. Her work is featured in public collections including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the V&A Museum in London.