SO MINT! MINJEONG KIM

Royal College of Art

SO MINT! is a series on fresh graduates in fashion, jewellery and design from around the world. Handpicked by Current Obsession.

Minjeong Kim is a multidisciplinary artist based in Seoul and London working with various body installation work. Minjeong explores the depth of human existence, both individually and socially, by interweaving and overlapping different sensations that morph over time. Through themes of barriers, symbolism, and the ephemeral nature of existence, she aims to unveil the complexity of social relationships. Starting from these body experiential senses also ends on the body understanding as the jewellery itself questioning what the jewellery is beyond the adornment for this current society.

‘In a new city, everything touched me differently — the air, the language, the silence. My skin became a surface for memory, and my gestures turned into shields. This work traces the quiet, often unconscious ways we respond to cultural transition: how the body negotiates discomfort, constructs boundaries, and absorbs the weight of unfamiliar environments.’

'Another Skin' • Minjeong Kim
'Fragile Barrier' • Minjeong Kim

Current Obsession: What story or idea does your graduation work explore, and why was it important for you to tell it now?

Minjeong Kim: Fragile Barrier began in response to the sudden shift in my living environment when I moved to London to begin my MA. Arriving in a new country brought rapid changes, including language and culture, especially in my sensory surroundings. This experience made me increasingly curious about how individuals react to and adapt within unfamiliar social contexts.

 

What initially sparked the work was a personal investigation into compulsive behaviours that surfaced in reaction to these environmental shifts. Rather than focusing solely on the actions themselves, I wanted to delve into the emotions and sensory triggers behind them, particularly the heightened tactile sensitivity that emerged. As a way to mentally shield myself from sensory overload, I began constructing invisible ‘barriers’, which took shape through repetitive, ritualistic gestures. I set out to reveal and externalise these invisible structures, unpacking the discomfort, tension, and vulnerability tied to them. Made up of three pieces, the series maps the gradual merging of these emotional shields with the outside world, charting a process of exposure, confrontation, and transformation.

Telling this story felt urgent, as it speaks to a broader question about how bodies, identities, and internal states shift when undergoing cultural transition.

'Another Skin' • Minjeong Kim
'Another Skin' • Minjeong Kim

CO: Who or what has shaped your practice in unexpected ways?

MK: One of the most unexpected influences on my practice has been the materials themselves, along with my own body. Because my work engages with emotional states, sensory shifts, and evolving conditions, the materials often reacted in ways I couldn’t fully predict, which led the work in surprising directions.

 

For instance, latex gradually changed colour where touched, visually recording traces of contact and emotion. Also in Negative Boundary, the weight of the piece transformed the idea of ‘empty space’ into something with bodily resistance, becoming far heavier and more confronting than I had imagined. In the final piece, Jewellery?, the falling pearls left imprints on the skin in unexpected ways, creating unanticipated images that opened up my interpretation.

These unplanned material reactions became turning points. They helped me reframe the relationship between compulsion, the body, and the external world, and this shift led the project to evolve into a series. The subtle interactions between body and space, or between external forces, revealed how such tensions affect us as social beings. Importantly, these moments of unpredictability sparked more ideas that now underpin future works. They showed how emotion, accident, and materiality can expand my practice in ways I never expected.

‘The materials often reacted in ways I couldn’t predict, leading the work in surprising directions. These unplanned reactions helped me reframe the relationship between compulsion, the body, and the external world.’

CO: Does your work reflect or respond to a cultural context or issue that’s personal to you?

MK: My work began as a personal response to unfamiliar surroundings and disrupted daily rhythms, but it gradually evolved into a deeper exploration of how sensory reactions are shaped by cultural and social environments. I became particularly interested in how the body absorbs tension and adapts, both physically and emotionally, within shifting societal contexts.

 

Throughout the project, I found it especially fascinating that clothing is more than a physical covering; it is also a cultural layer that reflects societal norms and expectations. By using materials that interact directly with the skin, leaving behind traces, weight, or changes over time, I investigated how these external elements affect both the body and the mind. Rather than focusing solely on clothing, my work examines the broader idea of what lies between the body and the outside world. I aimed to visualise the subtle defence mechanisms we develop in response to social pressure through physical sensations that often escape conscious control.

Ultimately, the project reflects on how invisible cultural forces shape our emotional and physical experiences. It asks how we construct, protect, or even fragment ourselves when navigating unfamiliar or demanding environments.

Instagram @minlykim

 

All images courtesy of the artist.

Our annual series SO MINT! is back, shining a spotlight on the rising talents of fresh graduates in fashion, jewellery, and design from around the world.

 

Are you a recent graduate with remarkable work to share? Submit your portfolio via this link!

 

Submissions are open until the end of August 2025.

 

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us via veronika@current-obsession.com.