Alumna Kim Ji-young (Graduate School of Design, Class of ’14), who graduated from the Department of Metal Crafts at Kookmin University, won “The Great Concept Development Award” for her work *Held in Tension* at the “Inflow 2026 International Contemporary Art Jewelry Exhibition & Conference,” an international contemporary jewelry exhibition and competition held in Hungary.

△ Held in Tension, 2026 / 10.5 x 9 x 1 cm / sterling silver, aluminium, red brass

Inflow is an international contemporary jewelry platform that highlights contemporary jewelry as a form of art that goes beyond mere decoration or wearables to embody the artist’s ideas, narratives, and social and cultural relationships. In addition to exhibitions and award programs, it organizes international conferences, masterclasses, and workshops, establishing itself as an international event where contemporary jewelry artists, curators, and researchers from around the world come together, centered in Budapest and Szentendre, Hungary.
 
For this year’s call for entries, 205 artists from 42 countries submitted a total of 462 works. The submitted works underwent anonymous review by an international jury composed of contemporary jewelry artists, curators, art historians, and museum professionals. After a comprehensive evaluation of the artists’ approach to the theme, narrative depth, formal execution, craftsmanship, and innovation, 236 works by 101 artists from 32 countries were selected for the final exhibition.
 
The exhibition ran from August 27 at the Romanian Cultural Institute in Budapest and at ArtMill, part of the Ferenczy Museum Center in Szentendre, and was accompanied by various programs, including an international conference and an awards ceremony. The entire program concluded with a closing reception held at ArtMill on September 19.

Inflow 2026 Award Announcement (Source: Inflow's Official Instagram)

Alumna Kim Ji-young’s award-winning work, *Held in Tension*, is an object and piece of jewelry crafted from sterling silver, aluminum, and red brass; it incorporates a fastening mechanism and movement that are not readily visible from the outside. While utilizing solid metals, this award-winning piece is designed so that its overall form changes organically, thereby exploring the relationship between fixation and movement, as well as tension and flexibility. Alumna Kim Ji-young has consistently explored when an object becomes a piece of jewelry and what potential relationships it holds even before it comes into contact with the body.
 
Meanwhile, alumna Kim Ji-young was selected as a finalist for the 2nd Seoul Glass Craft Award this year and was also selected for the Professional category of Enjoia’t 2026, an international contemporary jewelry competition held in Barcelona, Spain. Last year, she won both the “Bryna Pomp Award” and the “Atelierul Magazine Award” at the Romania Jewelry Week (ROJW) International Competition, and received the “My Day By Day Gallery Award” at the 12th Venice Design Week Jewelry Selection, continuing her active international career with a focus on Europe.