Edwards Art Gallery: Form & Impression

From creating visual works of art on a computer to tactile folded-paper masterpieces, artist and current Professor of Art and Design at Plymouth State University Jong-Yoon Kim is well-versed in working in minute and precise increments.

Edwards Art Gallery is excited to host his works, including precise paper-folded pieces, plywood parquet-like bowls, explorations in book-binding, and a variety of graphic design and 3-D works.

Form & Impression by Jong-Yoon Kim
Opening Reception on Tuesday, September 22 at 6 pm

Show Dates: September 9 to November 1
Open to the Public

From the Artist: Jong-Yoon Kim

My dream was to become a great ceramic artist, living in seclusion, with a kiln built deep in the mountains. I worked very hard to get into a ceramic arts program, and I was able to enter the ceramic arts program at the university I wanted.

After completing my junior year of college, I was drafted into the Korean Army for three years of service. I was assigned to the woodshop in my final year—simply because I was an art major before the military. There was no one there. No one to teach me. Not even YouTube. I had a room full of tools I had never seen before, and I was ordered to make a table and gun racks.

Since I didn’t know how to use any power tools, I made everything using only a saw and a hammer. It was difficult; it took a long time, and I wasn’t happy with the results. Some lines weren’t straight, and some parts didn’t fit properly. It was only much later, after I understood the purpose and proper use of each tool, that I was finally able to work properly. I was satisfied with the pieces I made, and others were pleased as well.

I have so many things I want to explore and express and there are a lot of tools I want to experience. Exploring the right medium and method for what I want to say is very similar to finding the right tool for the job in the woodshop. The important thing is finding the right tool that fits the purpose and intention.

Creating something with my hands brings me immense joy, and making works on a computer is fascinating and fun. Whether the process is fast or slow, done by hand or on a computer, it gives me a sense of balance and stability. The common purpose of all these processes is communication and connection with other people, and if many people can connect with my works and form a consensus, I consider it a success.