Interviewed by 'The Spoiler's Hand'
Interviewed by 'Cnavas Rebel'
We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hyungzee Choi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hyungzee, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I had two dreams as a child. My dream was to become a surgeon or a mechanical engineer like my father. However, under the influence of my father, I developed an interest in mechanical engineering. I always followed my father around and looked over his shoulder to learn how machines looked and worked. However, my parents were conservative and did not understand or support my interest in machines because at the time this was not something that women did.
When I was in elementary school, my art teacher recommended I major in art because she saw potential in me in art class and through several projects. However, at that time, there was not much interest in art in Korea, and neither my parents nor I were confident about my future in art.
As time passed, when I was in high school there was a small shop near my school that sold metal crafts jewelry, and other objects, and I spent a lot of time there, asking various questions about how they were made, who made them, etc. Thinking back, I think it was around this time that I developed a specific interest in metal craft. In high school, another art teacher recommended that I apply to art school, so I chose to major in industrial design.
After graduating, I started working as an intern at an interior design company, but I had very few opportunities to do my own design. The idea of designing things that people could use and enjoy was one of the reasons that I majored in design, but design companies that usually work in teams did not fit my tendency to want to create my own things with my own hands. I quit my job, found a workshop, and started a new challenge where I acquired basic skills, created a portfolio, and entered graduate school. From then on, I was able to make jewelry and various objects I wanted to make with my own hands, and my experience with machines, which I learned from watching my father as a child, gave me the direction of my work. Although mechanical engineering was my childhood dream, I am now using my hands and tools to create art rather than machines.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Currently, I have a studio at Artspace in Raleigh, NC. Various events and exhibitions are held at Artspace, and 30 artists engaged in various artistic activities have their own studios. On the first Friday of every month, we have the opportunity to showcase our work to the public through an open studio. I am currently preparing for the Smithsonian Craft Show to be held in May.
I love my studio and look forward to creating my new artwork there.
My sketchbook is full of writings, calculations, and blueprints. I enjoy working with my hands, and all of my pieces are totally handmade. Thus, my work is delicate.
Growing up, I learned how machines looked and worked from watching over the shoulder of my father who was a mechanical engineer. Those experiences gave direction to my work, so my work has a functional, structural, and mechanical look.
After leaving the interior design industry, I returned to my first love, metal craft, and received a master’s degree in metal craft in Korea. After receiving my master’s degree, I moved to NYC to study abroad. However, I put my plans for studying on hold, created my own brand called ‘beeshaus’ in 2011, and began working as an artist entrepreneur when I started my own brand, beeshaus.
The jewelry I created for Beeshaus was influenced by the city’s architecture and geometric shapes. My work expressed the beauty of minimalism that avoids any artificial fanfare and embellishment. However, during my time in business, I wound up archiving many of the ideas I couldn’t pursue.
Now, my passion is to create artistic metal works that had previously eluded my pursuit. My goal is to convey the simple elegance of industrial aesthetics and minimalism through my metalcraft creations.
My childhood memories continue to influence my work. Following my mechanical engineer father around Cheonggyecheon’s bustling alleys and factories, the scent of machine oil, the symphony of tools, and the machines’ functional beauty captivated me. Fascination with the elegance of functional machine forms drives my work. Influenced by my father, I’m drawn to mechanical movement.
I create jewelry that’s geometric, minimalistic, and functional. Minimalism’s inherent beauty guides me to embrace simplicity and reject excess. My art delves into expressing pure geometric forms diversely. The appearance of the forms changes with the wearer’s movements, how they choose to wear it, and the angle from which the piece is viewed. My hope is for the wearer of my jewelry to experience the joy of a constantly changing ornament in its pure form.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Several turning points have brought great meaning to my life. Marriage, obtaining a master’s degree, exhibitions, studying abroad in the United States, business, and a craft show were all moments of new beginnings and challenges.
After receiving my master’s degree and finishing my first solo exhibition, I went to study abroad in the United States. I arrived in New York City excited and carrying heavy metalworking tools with only a strong will to continue the work, but I also had my 18-month-old child with me. My child was a precious joy to me, but caring for him was also a heavy responsibility, and I was busy teaching him the differences in language and culture that I had never experienced. Meanwhile, with the ever-growing desire for metal craft within me, I chose business instead of studying. This was the beginning of my journey in New York and the first step towards my dream.
I will never forget the excitement of that moment when I started working at the workbench in a corner of my small apartment in Manhattan. As my business developed and as my child grew, I began to have hopes for small successes.
After starting the business as an online shop in 2011, I opened a studio and showroom in an office building near Macy’s in Manhattan in 2013. However, visitor access was restricted there, so in 2018, I opened a booth at Canal Street Market in Manhattan to introduce my jewelry to more customers. My jewelry has the characteristic of appearing different depending on how it is worn or the wearer’s movements. I thought there were limits to explaining these characteristics online and thought it would be helpful for my potential customers to see my jewelry in person. This decision paid off when several bloggers introduced my jewelry and filmed advertisements at my unique booth.
But the world faced unexpected changes. When the pandemic hit, the previously vibrant daily life disappeared and everything came to a halt. My husband’s company closed and we had to move to Raleigh, NC to find a new job for him. I, who was used to city life, was weighed down by anxiety and fear about the unknown future of my new environment.
But here I encountered an unexpected opportunity. I was able to create my own dream studio at Artspace in Raleigh. Also, I met jewelry artist BongSang Cho, who encouraged me to participate in craft shows. And last year, I got the opportunity to participate in the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show 2023, which I applied to for the first time. Now I am preparing for the Smithsonian Craft Show 2024 in May.
Although I have established myself in North Carolina, I am facing new challenges in continuing to create my own creative art. But all of this is just part of the journey to achieve my dream.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
I find it difficult to find a target audience who will understand my work. People who evaluate my jewelry mainly fall into two types. Often people react by saying, “Why is the design so simple yet so expensive?” They often mistakenly believe that my jewelry is factory-made due to the simplicity of the form, or they believe the prices are too high because they think that simple designs are easy to make. However, metalworkers and jewelry designers often ask, “How did you make this all by hand?” This is because they understand that a lot of time and effort goes into the process and perfection of the work.
Simple, unadorned designs are often misunderstood as easy to produce. However, in reality, simplicity requires greater attention to details such as symmetry, balance, surface texture, and finish, and this requires precise handcrafting. While mass production in factories is possible, the quality and finish of handmade products are distinctly different.
Although my work is sometimes misunderstood, I believe that it is important for me to remain true to my inspiration and design in a way that feeds my artistic soul instead of going with the current trends. If I stay true to my own art, undoubtedly, I will find my audience and contribute to the diversity of metalcraft design.
Read Now on Canvas Rebel
Interviewed by 'The Spoiler's Hand'
My interest in machines began at an early age. My father was an industrial engineer, and I would look over his shoulder as he worked. I was fascinated by all of the moving parts on the machines. I could see how each part on a machine had its own shape and purpose. Their minimalistic functionality was beautiful. To me, a functional shape is naturally exquisite. While majoring in industrial design, I was captivated by the words of the American architect, Louis Sullivan, “form follows function.” Later, I realized the joy of creating things by hand. I went on to get a master’s degree in metal craft, setting me up to be an industrial-inspired jeweler.
I do not push myself to get ideas for my creative work by referencing a book, magazine, going to exhibitions, or surfing online. There are too many easily accessible sources these days, and creative works by others overwhelm us. I do not want my jewelry to be artificial. I get my ideas from my daily life, meeting people, watching them and things around them. Often, what may seem trivial to others catches my attention and inspires me to create. My creative source has always been my daily life.
The final product image comes to me naturally and instantly before I start to work. Then, I draft the image in my sketchbook. During production, I try to match the image in my mind to the final product.
At first, I was interested in finding the beauty in a machine and trying to contain the functional beauty in my jewelry works. Currently, I am trying to eliminate the superfluous expression in my jewelry by focusing on its function. I like how my jewelry can be seen differently depending on the wearer’s point of view and how it can also be seen differently from the wearer’s intention. I enjoy using usual mediums that were not often used in jewelry making.
I love creating things with my hands. This is the main reason I changed my career from design to metal craft. Machines can more efficiently create many of my works, but I like to craft my works with my hands. This gives human warmth to cold metal. It also naturally adds more details that people can enjoy. I do not negotiate when it comes to quality. That is a human quality that machines cannot imitate.
