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Art & Life with Jiwon Choi

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jiwon Choi.

Jiwon, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was born with dermatographism which is an ability to draw on your skin. Perhaps it was a fate to be an artist? Growing up as a child, I always had to remind myself that my skin is like thermal paper since the reaction is caused by worrying situations. My skin would swell up red whenever I felt uncomfortable. Ups and downs, hot and cold, anxious and excited emotions have been the key ingredients of my creative work until now. In 2016, I designed “Reversible Mask,” which is an example of my double-sided emotions, and this was selected, produced, and sold in Hermes stores in Paris, Geneva, NYC, and Seoul. Today, I design jewelry inspired by the mood swings and unsuccessful love. I consider my artwork is a healing process without omitting the aesthetic values.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I make jewelry and accessories. Forms and shapes are taken from graphic qualities of my personal experiences such as tattoos, cigarette smokes, hickeys and many more. I make delicate wax models with my hands as well as 3D modeling and I collaborate with local craftsmen to finish them.

My own definition of luxury is to “stay relaxed”. I still see many mainstream jewelry brands that are admiring the outdated notion of “femininity” and this is where I get inspired. I create jewelry for tomboys like myself who want to stay in youth forever. Jewelry to me is a reminder of positive things and reminiscent of rare and precious moments. I try to capture the essence of emotions and turn them into jewelry pieces: overcoming heartbreaks, making friends with strangers, and the discovering of your wild side. I consider my jewelry as “naive punk” as they resemble the awkward moments that most of my generation encounter when growing up.

To sum up, my art is as dorky, kinky, funky as my personality.

What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
Due to the uprising of social media, I believe that the line has blurred between musicians, artists, designers, performers. Your creativity is captured in either photo or video. Also, most local, national or international events are always live on Instagram and everyone is granted with the fair opportunity to watch them wherever. The problem is that younger generation believes that they have “seen” a lot of stuff without actually “experiencing” them in real life, unlike my generations’ childhood. I still think going out to see musicals, art exhibitions, and even department stores are really important because you get to experience beyond the surface you “see.” I believe that my tangible experiences of lived in New England to Switzerland as well as in Asia have encouraged me to also create tangible objects which you can wear.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
You can see my jewelry collections on my website and web shop (www.jiwonchoi.com. Also, a London stockist, The Pommier (www.thepommier.com) has a few of my work. You can support my work by following my Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/jiwonchoijewelry/) which I’m updating almost every day.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Photography: Hyekyung Cha, Younès Klouche, Daniela&Tonatiuh, WWD Japan
Models: Jade Vanhinsbergh, Jamie Kee, Aoi

Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

1 Comment

  1. Summer Jennings

    August 12, 2018 at 7:58 am

    Lovely interview! Saw her jewelry in London!

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