The Beauty of Hammering: Metalcraft Solo Show by Master Kim Ki-chan
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
A solo exhibition by Master Kim Ki-chan, designated artisan of Gangwon’s intangible cultural heritage No.14, titled 'The Value and Tradition of Bangjja Spoons' runs until the 28th at Yanggu Bird Willow Art Warehouse. The show, themed 'Bangjja Spoons, Embracing a Thousand Years of Light,' spotlights the traditional bangjja (a Korean copper-tin alloy metalwork) technique: heating brass-like alloy and repeatedly hammering, quenching and polishing by hand rather than casting. Twenty-five works — from everyday spoon sets to large metal installations — trace how utilitarian utensils evolve into sculptural metalcraft, allowing visitors to examine hammered metal structures and refined surface textures up close. Kim, who continues a six-generation family tradition, personally alloys copper and tin and completes pieces after hundreds of hammer strikes, emphasizing the time, labor and skill condensed in each spoon. The exhibition invites audiences to experience the depth and beauty of Korea’s traditional metalcraft.
