Im Ji-wan

Jiwan Lim, the leading figure to usher in a second golden age of mother-of-pearl lacquerware through its modernization and globalization

“I believe we shouldn’t confine mother-of-pearl lacquerware to a tradition, but rather create a new tradition by incorporating a modern sensibility. We need to produce works that the new generation will prefer through collaborations with various items.”
A craftsperson who reinterprets the luminous light of traditional lacquerware and mother-of-pearl inlay through the language of modern painting. Having won two awards at the Korea Master Craftsmen Association Skills Competition and the Grand Prize at the International Traditional Arts Exhibition, the artist has proven their unrivaled technical skills and artistry. As the President of the Korea Lacquerware and Mother-of-Pearl Inlay Association, they carry on the legacy of tradition while simultaneously promoting the contemporary potential of Korean lacquer art to the world through invited exhibitions at the Korean Cultural Center in Tokyo, Japan, and prestigious galleries both domestically and internationally.

[Key Profile]

July 2025 – Present: President, Korea Lacquerware and Mother-of-Pearl Inlay Association
September 2022 – December 2025: Supervising Professor, Department of Lacquerware and Mother-of-Pearl Inlay, Seoul Southern Institute of Technology

[Exhibition]

Nov. 6 – Nov. 11, 2025: A Thousand Years of Light Embracing History: Mother-of-Pearl Lacquerware Painting Exhibition (Gallery Mi, Korean Cultural Center in Tokyo, Japan)
July 4 – July 8, 2025: Gyeol: Between Lacquer and Mother-of-Pearl (Herald Art Day Gallery) Invited Artist Exhibition
June 15 – June 27, 2020: Chilhwa (Omae Gallery) Art Exhibition in June

[premier]

Dec. 2025 Special Prize at the 26th Iksan Korea Craft Exhibition
July 2024 Grand Prize at the 16th International Traditional Arts Exhibition
Dec. 2023 Special Prize at the 24th Iksan Korea Craft Exhibition
June 2019, Grand Prize in the Lacquerware Category at the 4th Korea Master Craftsmen Competition
June 2019, Minister of Labor Award, Mother-of-Pearl Inlay Division, 4th Korea Master Craftsmen Skills Competition