Rimm Chae
South Korea
Rimm CHAE has been creating “sculptural painting” based on the use of Ottchil (漆), or Korean lacquer, and mother-of-pearl. She also demonstrates the novel potential of Ottchil as pure fine art through her lacquer landscape paintings. Jewelry design is often characterized as a form of wearable art. When they're not decoratively worn or displayed in a highly secure setting, the gemstones are usually tucked inside a safe, away from the gaze of viewers and the risk of theft. For Chae Rimm, whose career as a jewelry designer had been continuously on the rise since 2000, this hiddenness became a point of frustration. "Seeing my works making splendid, yet only brief, appearances at exhibitions, before being boxed up once again and put away in the dark, weighed heavily on my mind," she said.