Why might the fusion of nature and metalsmithing seem contradictory? I am thinking less of rocks and geological formations than of nature’s slender, refined, delicate elements. Perhaps it is because we associate nature with softness and metal with hardness. In the hands of South Korean sculptor Hyejeong Ko (b. 1975), whose solo exhibition Silver Shadows is currently on view at Galerie Maria Wettergren, that distinction dissolves. Drawing on the textures, rhythms, and organic forms of the natural world, she creates works that feel like extensions of it. Nature becomes more than a source of inspiration; it shapes her identity and creative practice.
Her pieces in silver appear soft, sinuous, and elastic in works that inhabit the space between art and design, sculpture and functional objects. Inspired by dandelions, pebbles, sea urchins, and streams, Ko translates their forms and rhythms into shimmering sculptures, giving a material long associated with traditional craftsmanship an unmistakably contemporary expression. At her picturesque studio in Seoul, she casts tiny silver elements using the lost-wax technique, shaping them, and joining them into intricate organic structures.
Part of the vitality of contemporary Korean design lies in the dialogue between technical mastery and philosophical inquiry. For Ko, Taoist philosophy informs both her relationship with nature and her approach to making. The principle of wu wei—acting in harmony with the natural flow of things without imposing one’s will—offers a way of understanding her practice. Nature becomes a source of wisdom as well as form, its quiet rhythms and continual transformations guiding her search for harmony between material, gesture, and the living world.
Ko understands this harmony as a principle of both life and creation: human beings remain intrinsically connected to nature, and beauty emerges from that relationship. Through silver’s shifting reflections and her mastery of micro-soldering, she achieves a breathtaking lightness and grace that recall the sea and its changing light. Her sculptures suggest movement even in stillness, their intricate structures lending silver an almost living presence. The installation in the light-filled galley illuminates the pieces and placing them in contempoary design contex.
For me, silver has always evoked my grandmother’s world—the cherished objects, family rituals, and traditions passed down through generations. Ko’s work invites me to see it anew. Each intricate form reveals extraordinary patience and discipline, emerging through a painstaking, labor-intensive process. Beautifully displayed at Galerie Maria Wettergren in Paris’s Marais district, these works astonished me with their delicacy and expressive power, making Silver Shadows one of the most intriguing exhibitions in Paris Art Week.
