WORKS / 01

Mother of Pearl

Small fragments come together in light,
connecting memory to new forms of belonging.Mother-of-pearl · 2024–2026

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Pearl Cube

Kay Um · Mother-of-pearl

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MOTHER OF PEARL

Pearl Cube

Artist statement

At times, we experience moments that shatter us into pieces. Yet fragmentation can also become a path toward healing, allowing us to let go of our attachments and open ourselves to others.

Mother-of-pearl carries a deeply personal memory of my childhood and my mother's mother-of-pearl cabinet, where countless small fragments came together to create a luminous whole.

In Pearl Cube, these fragments connect memory with the present. Each piece carries its own light, yet together they become part of something larger. Through this process, fragmentation transforms into connection, and what is broken begins to shine again.

Pearl Cube

Year
2025–2026
Materials
Mother-of-pearl, wooden boxes
Dimensions
3.5 × 3.5 × 3.5 in. · variable dimensions
View interactive cube

This digital view uses artist-supplied photographs. Unphotographed faces reuse a photo of the same work.

Pearl Cube · installation view
Pearl CubeInstallation view01 / 04
Pearl Cube · installation view
Pearl CubeInstallation view02 / 04
Pearl Cube · installation view
Pearl CubeInstallation view03 / 04
Pearl Cube · installation view
Pearl CubeInstallation view04 / 04

FRAGMENTS & RENEWAL

Redeemed Fragments of Life

Artist statement

Transformation begins when we let go of our rigid sense of self and the desires that keep us at the center. By releasing what we cling to, we create space for connection, allowing individual fragments to become part of something greater.

In this series, I cover discarded tree branches with fragments of mother-of-pearl, giving new life to what has been abandoned. Through this process, the branches become vessels of renewal, revealing a quiet radiance born from letting go, connection, and transformation.

Redeemed Fragments of Life I

Year
2024
Materials
Tree branches, mother-of-pearl
Dimensions
15 × 27 × 8 in.
Redeemed Fragments of Life I · Full view
Redeemed Fragments of Life IFull view01 / 02
Redeemed Fragments of Life I · Detail
Redeemed Fragments of Life IDetail02 / 02

Redeemed Fragments of Life II

Year
2025
Materials
Tree branches, mother-of-pearl
Dimensions
7 × 22 × 11 in.
Redeemed Fragments of Life II · Full view
Redeemed Fragments of Life IIFull view01 / 02
Redeemed Fragments of Life II · Installation view
Redeemed Fragments of Life IIInstallation view02 / 02

Redeemed Fragments of Life III

Year
2025
Materials
Tree branches, mother-of-pearl
Dimensions
33 × 50 × 8 in.
Redeemed Fragments of Life III · Full view
Redeemed Fragments of Life IIIFull view01 / 02
Redeemed Fragments of Life III · Detail
Redeemed Fragments of Life IIIDetail02 / 02
Next workTree Bark