Born in Seoul, South Korea, Saerom Kong challenges traditional notions of value through the juxtaposition of conventional and unconventional materials. When people think about rice and beans, the first thing that comes to mind is nourishment and survival, not adornment. Yet for Kong, these foods possess a beauty all their own. Using rice and beans, found objects, paper, and silver—one of which is clearly perceived as more valuable than the others—she makes practical works that pose the question: If a piece of jewelry is not “precious” in the traditional sense of the word, then what is it that attracts us to it, and is the jewelry still valuable?
