Inhwan Jeon is a Seoul-based artist, born in South Korea in 1991. Rooted in traditional metalsmithing techniques such as hammering and fabrication, his practice explores contemporary craft objects through material transformation, surface, and trace. Working primarily with aluminum, Jeon creates objects that reveal the tension between hand-based processes, structural form, and the expressive qualities of metal.

Jeon received the Grand Prize at the Iksan Korea Crafts Competition in 2019, and his work Rebirth of Hand entered the collection of the Korea Craft Culture Association. He received his BFA and MFA from Seoul National University of Science and Technology, and later completed a second master's degree at Rochester Institute of Technology in 2024. He has taught at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Kyonggi University.

"My work explores the relationship between time and memory through traces left on the surface of metal. For me, memory is not a clear reconstruction of the past, but something that returns faintly, as a sensory and emotional residue. This idea began with the experience of trying to remember someone through photographs, conversations, and fragments that could no longer be fully restored.

I form aluminum vessels through raising, allowing repeated hammering to accumulate time within the metal. Onto this surface, I weld lines, dots, and broken lines using filler metals with different alloy compositions. These welded marks act as events on the surface.

After welding, I hammer the surface again. The clear marks are softened and transformed into subtle textures. Through transparent anodizing, the differences between alloys reappear as delicate shifts in color. What was once visible, then faded, returns again as a quiet trace."