Chae Rim
My work may seem similar to the techniques of Najeon Chilgi(Korean lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl), which involve creating patterns out of mother-of-pearl and applying lacquer above it. However, when met with my experience as a jewelry designer, such techniques are transformed into a completely new form of work.
Inspired by nature, traditional motifs crafted from silver and mother-of-pearl are carefully laid upon 40 coats of lacquer by hand. This meticulous process is finally finished after the silver and mother-of-pearl motifs are fixed upon the lacquered surface.
Such works are complex pieces. They can seem to be two-dimensional, yet three-dimensional; traditional, yet contemporary; paintings, yet sculptures simultaneously.
Starting from traditional mother-of-pearl techniques, which combine both lacquer and mother-of-pearl, my artwork has evolved into contemporary art and even an intriguing and original genre of art.
For one of my recent works, ‘Song of the wind in the forest’, I chose to deviate from traditional lacquer techniques and follow the inspiration and energy coming from within. With my previous projects, I had created my lacquerwork through repeatedly applying, drying, and grinding lacquer approximately 40 times. However, in the case of ‘Song of the wind in the forest’, I focused on depicting the texture of bark with a new and different type of lacquer technique. The irregular patterns mimic the lines of nature, giving the viewer a sense of a vast and grand landscape, looking down upon trees or a forest from high above.
Lacquer and mother-of-pearl are the perfect ingredients for portraying an artist’s perception and sensitivity for nature, as they both come from nature itself. The soft, yet strong curves of the silver, and the delicate, yet rough texture of the lacquer somewhat illustrates the breaths of trees and the wind entwining through a forest.
CHAE , RIM
Artist & RIMM GIOIELLI Designer
