JAY KIM Bio and Artist Statement
JAY KIM: A Journey from Commerce to Cosmic Storytelling
"Metals came from space," JAY KIM reflects in his artist's statement. "Through patina techniques using flame, which evoke the imagination of the universe's origin through the unimaginable heat of supernovas, metals unveil their surprising stories that have been kept since the beginning of time." In this vision, JAY KIM positions himself not as creator but as storyteller, conveying narratives already written by the cosmos.
For nearly a decade, JAY KIM has pursued this artistic vision that bridges the celestial and the terrestrial, developing a pioneering technique in flamed patina and engraving on brass that stands unmatched in contemporary metal art. His works, now on display at Wiford Gallery Santa Fe, represent the culmination of a remarkable transformation—from corporate executive to self-taught patina artist whose innovative methods have redefined what is possible with metal as a medium.
Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, JAY KIM's journey began in the realm of international commerce. After earning his B.A. in Liberal Arts from Yonsei University, he built a distinguished career spanning both corporate and government sectors, including positions with LG Group and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), where he later served at its Atlanta office. Yet his relocation to the United States would prove to be more than a geographic shift—it awakened dormant creative instincts that had long simmered beneath the surface of his professional life.
This creative reawakening first manifested in the establishment of a niche handmade handbag brand that garnered acclaim for its use of natural materials, refined craftsmanship, and sculptural, art-like design. But it was during the development of an exquisite basket handbag—crafted from rattan woven by native artisans in Borneo—that JAY KIM encountered the turning point that would define his artistic future. Frustrated by the lifeless, mass-produced metal components available for his design, he made a pivotal decision: to create his own.
What began as a practical solution evolved into an obsession. Through countless hours of independent experimentation, JAY KIM discovered the expressive power of patina and engraving, techniques that revealed to him something profound: the luminous gold of raw brass lying beneath layers of oxidation, which he came to see as "the beauty of our true being hidden beneath the drama of life." This philosophical insight would become the foundation of his artistic practice.
Over the years that followed, JAY KIM developed a distinctive methodology regarded as both authentic and unprecedented. His process begins with hand-hammering flat brass sheets into convex domes through sheer physical effort, or heating the metal to a glowing red and allowing it to warp naturally, capturing energy in motion—waves sealed in metal. He then applies flame repeatedly with a handheld torch, building layers of subtle hues and patterns from within the metal itself, creating depth without paint or surface additives. Finally, he engraves his chosen themes with a Dremel, exposing the untouched golden brass beneath.
In his mineral copper patina work, JAY KIM streams a solution of his own formulation across tilted brass surfaces, allowing it to form the branching patterns found throughout nature—in rivers, roots, and living organisms. Through an additional fuming process lasting hours or days, these patterns set, and he engraves along the veins, once again revealing the golden brass beneath the turquoise patina.
The brass itself becomes a metaphor in JAY KIM's hands. While the layers of color and pattern in the patina symbolize the lives we live in the dimensions of time and space, the exposed golden brass expresses the transcendent dimension we all share. The metal's own reaction to flame creates endless variations of color and pattern—without any paint or gold leaf—and each piece emerges as a unique revelation.
The works now displayed at Wiford Gallery Santa Fe represent the full maturation of this vision—pieces where the drama of colored patina meets the transcendent gold beneath, where corporate discipline has been transformed into artistic mastery, and where a self-taught artist has achieved what formal training alone could never have produced: a truly original voice in contemporary metal art. Wiford Gallery invites you to collect this work and join JAY KIM on this evolutionary journey of creativity.
