FRAGILITY
Namkyung Lee
South Korea

The plate engraved with photographic images serves as a mold that forms a single surface (or wall). On top of this, Jesmonite (an acrylic resin) is poured to cast the photographic image. The photographic image plate created in this way has a blurry intagliated or embossed quality. It also has an appropriate ambiguity. By repeating this process, the images are layered to create a three-dimensional shape. These surfaces are interlocked to express the effect of depth.
‘The space where images are left’ is a concept that allows me to visualize my work comprehensively or connotatively. The images in the work begin from the everyday gaze and ordinary surroundings. The act of containing these relieves and avoids heavy or overly profound representations of reality. I attempt to shape a space of subjective taste by uncovering and emphasizing the small aesthetic details found in reality, and infusing them into my work.
While the specific spaces remain unclear, ultimately, a clear, physical visuality is produced. Additionally, this metaphorically suggests that the images remaining in one’s mind are recalled, forgotten, and distorted repeatedly, in order to remain as beguiling as possible.

Brooch « The Remaining Scenes », 2025
65x75x30 mm / 75 gr
Jesmonite, mother of pearl, pearl, sterling silver, stainless steel. Jesmonite is poured onto photo-engraved plates to cast and form each surface.

Brooch « The Scenery », 2025
60x80x35 mm / 66 gr
Jesmonite, mother of pearl, pearl, sterling silver, stainless steel. Jesmonite is poured onto photo-engraved plates to cast and form each surface.

More « FRAGILITY »

Fragility – Deniz Turan / UK

FRAGILITYDeniz TuranUnited Kingdom“To escape and break free, because we dream of a freer life, to grant ourselves a second chance, to leave the past behind or simply because life flows that way… Whatever the reason may be, alongside all other possibilities, migration...

Fragility – Babette von Dohnanyi / Germany

FRAGILITYBabette von DohnanyiGermanyThis piece talks about our identity, how fragile we are, our look in our individual face, our acceptance about ourselves. The research of ourselves all way deep but also never secure.Brooch "hello", 20237x7x2,5cm mm / 250,00 grAG...

Fragility – Luisa Mucedola / Italy

FRAGILITYLuisa MucedolaItalyThrough tempered glass – strong yet vulnerable – I explore the human condition, its balance between resistance and dissolution.In each crack and fragment, I find the truth of living: strength born from limits, beauty emerging when...

Fragility – Sébastien Carré / France

FRAGILITYSébastien CarréFranceFragility of… The Cycle of Water From the melting of the poles, to changing the power of the gulfstream We are already starting to feel the impact of global warming with an increased power and frequency of rain and snowstorms.While...

Fragility – Denis Music / Ukraine

FRAGILITYDenis MusicUkraineFragility is a state of tension — between strength and collapse, between freedom and threat, between life and its disappearance. My brooch Black Cloud was inspired by the installation of Ukrainian artist Oleksiy Sai, which rose above the...

Fragility – Sara Shahak / Israel

FRAGILITYSara ShahakIsraelBetween a glass bell and an iron pendant, a material tension arises that embodies fragility as an existential condition. The glass bell, functioning as a greenhouse, seeks to protect and preserve, yet it exposes the limits of protection and...

Fragility – Yuqi Fan / USA

FRAGILITYYuqi FanUnited StatesTo me, “Fragility” emerges in the dynamics of attachment, the way we rely on objects to express ourselves, cherish lost ones, and soothe insecurities. Through jewelry and wearable objects, I explore how these attachments reveal the...

Fragility – Sayaka Ito / Japan

FRAGILITYSayaka ItoJapanFragility is the beauty of existing things and lives. Fragile, therefore, there is strength, there is care. All our souls are fragile; thus, we unite, we love. May acceptance of fragility in our lives bring better things to our world.Brooch...

Fragility – Into Niilo / Belgium

FRAGILITYInto NiiloBelgiumThis work consists of a pair of interlocking knuckledusters that form a single solid object when pressed together. When separated, the phrase I wanna choose love | instead of fear becomes legible. The object is a 3D-printed steel puzzle...

Fragility – Galit Barak / Israel

FRAGILITYGalit BarakIsraelThe artworks feature red gravel stones arranged on a mesh net facing inwards. These stones were sourced from the area of Al-Kunayyisa, an Arab village that was occupied and ethnically cleansed in 1948. Today, the village's ruins are difficult...