Jiyoung Chung is internationally recognized for bringing the utilitarian “Joomchi” tradition, a Korean method of hand-felted Hanji (mulberry) paper, into the world of contemporary art. In Jiyoung’s hands, the ancient craft takes a contemporary appearance and hanji paper reveals itself as a painterly, abstract medium filled with sculptural and textural imagery. Chung received her BFA from Rhode Island School of Design and MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Her acclaimed work has been exhibited around the globe including Korea, China, Finland, Canada, the USA, Australia, France and the UK, including being a featured artist at the 2018 Smithsonian Craft Show. Collections include the Fidelity Corporate Art Collection, the Boston Museum of Art and Design and Cheongju Craft Museum in Korea. She is interested in the struggle for our own humanity in this spinning world and “the whispers and breaths between us.” Chung’s work takes an X-ray lens to the filament layers of home-made paper and invests it with a textural poetry, reflecting the alternating strengths and holes in the essential relationship between humanity and nature. In addition to her art practice, Chung has been introducing Joomchi through guest lectureship at Penland School of Craft, the International Surface Design Conference, Geelong Textile Forum (Australia) Zijdelings in Tilburg (Netherlands), Haystack Mountain School of Craft and many others. She is the author of the seminal book on Joomchi in art, “Joomchi and Beyond.”