Philosophy
Hyungzee Choi (aka Hz) observed a connection in structure, form, and function between a beehive and her artwork. This inspired her to create and name her jewelry studio, “Beeshaus.” The Beeshaus collections convey a sense of clarity, simplicity, structural beauty, and industrial minimalism through geometric form.
Hyungzee Choi was born and raised in South Korea. Many of her early memories consist of following her father, a mechanical engineer, through the busy alleyways, factories, and warehouses of Cheonggyecheon. She grew to love the smell of machine oil, the whirring and clanging of tools, and the functional aesthetic of machines, learning by watching over her father’s shoulder.
Her sketchbooks are filled with writings, calculations, and blueprints instead of drawings. She enjoys working with her hands, and her work reflects precise hand fabrication. She received her Bachelor’s degree in industrial design and later returned to her first passion, metalsmithing, earning a master’s degree in metal craft.
She is captivated by the elegant forms found in industrial machines, where each part serves a specific purpose without unnecessary decoration. Her work reflects her interest in mechanical structure and movement, influenced by her father. Inspired by Friedrich Becker, a pioneer in kinetic jewelry who also had a background in machining, she expresses industrial minimalism through wearable structural jewelry. She hand-fabricates her work in metal, sometimes repurposing mechanical components and drawing from the geometry and relationships of machine parts. This approach was first demonstrated in her exhibition “Mutate” in Seoul in 2002.
Her work explores how pure geometric three-dimensional forms can be experienced differently depending on the wearer’s movement, method of wearing, and viewing perspective. Whether static or responsive to movement, each piece invites the wearer to experience how structure, form, and perspective shape perception.
Beeshaus presents jewelry defined by precise hand fabrication and structural precision. Most pieces are made in sterling silver and 18k gold, and some incorporate keum-boo (24-carat gold foil, Korea), industrial materials, or mechanical components. Through careful construction and refined finishing, her work emphasizes the intrinsic beauty of minimal structure and the relationship between material, form, and perception.
See more of her art work at: www.hyungzeechoi.com
beeshaus
/bi:zhowz/ n. bee’s house, beehive, hive, comb
minimal l geometric l structural l combined l systematic l mechanical l functional l moderate