'Yoo Lizzy: A Philosophic Metalsmith' gives Korean crafts their time to shine

Arts & Design

Published: 28 Sep. 2022, 15:04

'Yoo Lizzy: A Philosophic Metalsmith' gives Korean crafts their time to shine

"The Journey with Ten Longevity Symbols-Water-Life" (2006) by Yoo Lizzy, on view at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art [SEOUL MUSEUM OF CRAFT ART]

For anyone interested in Korean art, it’s relatively easy to name a number of Korean modern art masters, but for crafts, it may be a different story.

To turn that around, the Seoul Museum of Craft Art (SeMoCA) in Jongno District, central Seoul, is honoring Yoo Lizzy (1945-2013), a Korean craftsperson known to have made a big contribution to modern craft art, in its new exhibition, which kicked off Tuesday.

“Yoo Lizzy: A Philosophic Metalsmith” presents 327 crafts by Yoo that represent her lifelong career and were donated to the museum by her family. Yoo was the eldest daughter of the late abstractionist Yoo Young-kuk (1916-2002).

“Yoo’s father was known to have always helped and encouraged her to go down the path of being a craftsperson, and Yoo would say that her family is like an extension of herself,” senior curator Chae Young said during a press preview at SeMoCA on Monday.

“Yoo Lizzy: A Philosophic Metalsmith” recreates Yoo's studio [SEOUL MUSEUM OF CRAFT ART]

“For crafts, it’s crucial that they are based on their use in everyday life. This exhibition aims to show Yoo’s contemplation on how she reflected her own artistic universe within these pieces.”

Yoo’s crafts, centering on metals like gold and silver, broadly range across interior items, jewelry, large-scale sculptures and funeral products. The exhibition sorted them out on a timeline starting in the 1970s.

The jewelry is mostly from the late 1980s, when Yoo and her younger sister Yoo Cha-ya opened a craft workshop and store called Goeun Jewelry. Using a motif of plants and birds, the Yoo sisters’ jewelry, from brooches to necklaces, have a daring and bold design.

"Golden Cup" (1995) is made from 22-karat gold, because 24-karat is "too soft." [SEOUL MUSEUM OF CRAFT ART]

"Leaning on a Wind" (1987) [SEOUL MUSEUM OF CRAFT ART]

Winds and waves are a recurring theme in Yoo’s craft works, as she intended to depict natural scenery in an abstract way to convey feelings of tranquility and peace.

“There is water at the foundation of every life. Water symbolizes the cycle of life and death as it flows ceaselessly. I have crafted works that possess both practicality and aesthetics based on my thoughts on water,” Yoo once said, as quoted by the museum.

Her crafts extended to funeral products in the 2000s, such as a coffin bier and urns, when preparing to part with her father as he suffered from heart disease in his later years. She believed that crafts also contribute to a beautiful end to one’s life, Chae explained, in that they are like a gift to the deceased.

This portion of the exhibition shows the funeral products Yoo made in the 2000s, such as the coffin bier. [SEOUL MUSEUM OF CRAFT ART]

In 2004, Yoo founded a crafts museum that, since her death, has been operating as the Yoolizzy Craft Museum in Seocho District, southern Seoul. As most of her works are now in possession by SeMoCA, the Yoolizzy Craft Museum will act more as a memorial rather than a museum, displaying mostly design blueprints and archival resources that still remain there, Chae said.

Alongside Yoo’s exhibition at SeMoCA is another section that has arranged donated works from nine other craftspeople that focus on metalwork.

Choi Hyun-chil, 82, has donated his bird-shaped pawns made from a mix of ebony, bronze, silver, resin and rubber, that are used in a game similar to backgammon. Chung Yong-jin, 57, who was one of the finalists for the 2022 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, donated one of his famed stainless steel bowls from 2020.

"Urn - Samjogo" (2002) [SEOUL MUSEUM OF CRAFT ART]

Others, like Kim Yeo-ok, who turns 77 this year, distinctively added a mystical rainbow color effect to her titanium jewelry — “which is difficult to produce,” says Chae.

SeMoCA also announced its plans to host a crafts award that is set to be held every other year, sponsored by Yoo’s family. More information, including its name, will be revealed later.

“Yoo Lizzy: A Philosophic Metalsmith” continues until Nov. 27. The exhibition is held in the third floor of SeMoCA’s Exhibition Building I, and is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]