JIYE YUN
Germany

🎉 29/10/1988

EDUCATION

2016 - 2022
Academy of Fine Arts Munich, Germany
2012 - 2014
M.F.A. Metalwork & Jewelry, Kookmin University, Seoul, South Korea
2009 - 2010
Exchange Student, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, Canada
2007 - 2012
B.F.A. Metalwork & Jewelry, Kookmin University, Seoul, South Korea

 

MEET THE ARTIST!

DID YOU KNOW?
My Tile series started when I first moved to Germany and took the subway to the academy every day. The tiled walls and columns of the different stations kept catching my attention, and they also brought back memories of places in Korea, subway stations, old public baths, swimming pools, kitchens and bathrooms.
I became interested in how tiles exist in both public and very private spaces. They can be part of a station where thousands of people pass every day, but also of a bathroom where you are alone, washing your body and having a quiet moment with yourself. Because tiles are so closely connected to water, hygiene and everyday life, I started to see them as more than just a pattern or surface. They became a way for me to think about space, people, and the relationship between the public and the private. 

BEHIND THE JEWELLERY

Which moment in the making process gives you the greatest sense of satisfaction?
Probably the moment when I add the grout at the very end. Until then, the piece still feels unfinished, but once the grout fills the spaces between the tiles, everything suddenly comes together and starts to look like a real tiled surface. I always find that moment very satisfying.

Which part of your creative process do you tend to put off?
Naming my pieces. My work often starts with something visual that catches my
attention — a form, a colour, or a pattern — and the idea develops from there.
Finding the right words for it afterwards can therefore be difficult, so I often leave the
title until the very end.

Which materials or techniques would you still like to explore?
I would love to explore ceramics more. Clay feels very different from metal, it is soft and direct, and there is a certain freedom in being able to shape it with just your hands. I’m also drawn to the glossy surface of glazes and the range of colours they can create. The weight of ceramics would be an interesting challenge for jewellery, but I could also imagine developing some of my forms on a larger scale, beyond
jewellery, as objects in their own right.

EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS

  • 2026 Danner-Preis 2026, Neues Museum Nürnberg, Nuremberg (DE).
  • 2026 Tunnel, The Closer Gallery (solo exhibition), Beijing (CN).
  • 2025–2026 Constellations: Contemporary Jewelry at the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas (US).
  • 2025 From Small to Large? Addition as Principle, Galerie Handwerk, Munich (DE).
  • 2024 Beyond Adornment, Seoul Museum of Craft Art, Seoul (KR).
  • 2023 SCHMUCK, International Craft Fair (IHM), Munich (DE)
  • 2022 Tom & Jewellery, Kunstarkaden, Munich (DE).
  • 2022 An Easterly Breeze, Galerie Rob Koudijs (NL).
  • 2021 MUC / Schmuck, Münchner Stadtmuseum, Munich (DE).

AWARDS

  • 2023 BKV PRIZE, Bavarian Crafts Council, 1st prize
  • 2023 SCHMUCK, Internationale Handwerksmesse, Finalist
  • 2022 Upper Bavarian Award for Applied Arts, Finalist
  • 2018 BKV PRIZE, Bavarian Crafts Council, 3rd prize
  • 2018 Upper Bavarian Award for Applied Arts, Finalist
  • 2015 Cheongju International Craft Competition, Finalist
  • 2015 TALENTE, Internationale Handwerksmesse, Finalist

FUN FACT

I sometimes pause films just to look at a tiled wall or a building in the background. When I travel, I’m also the person who suddenly stops to photograph tiles, façades, or a color combination I like.