Kee-ho Yuen received a B.A. from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1983 and an M.F.A. in Metalsmithing and Jewelry from The University of Iowa (UI), US in 1989. He is currently a Professor and the Head of the UI Jewelry and Metal Arts program.
Regardless of vast social and technological changes, basic human emotions and interactions remain the same. Fascinated and inspired by how timeless some old Chinese literature is in this particular subject, my work is a collage of what I learn from it. I prefer to capture it by resonating between seriousness and whimsicality. I do not intend to use my work to convince anyone but use it as a reminder for myself not to drift too far from the attitudes I believe to be important in life. Some of my work is purely an aesthetic and technical investigation. I employ an eclectic use of contemporary and traditional technologies and materials, ranging from advanced 3-D computer modeling and CNC machining, to traditional fabrications and enameling
Work by Kee-ho has been acquired by the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom; the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC; the Museum of Arts and Design (formerly American Craft Museum), New York, NY; the Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI; the Museum of Art, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; the University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City, IA; the Cedar Rapids Museum, Cedar Rapids, IA; the Figge Art Museum, Davenport, IA; the Waterloo Museum, Waterloo, IA as well as other institutions. Collectors of his work include Rosanne Raab, New York, NY and Sonny Kamm, Los Angeles, CA. His national and international invitational group and solo exhibitions include: the Goldsmith Hall, London, England; Museum Für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany; Pionine Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan; Tunghai University Art Gallery, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan; Seoul Art Center, Seoul, Korea; the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC; the Museum of Arts and Design, Fortunoff, and Aaron Faber Gallery, New York, NY; the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington; the Museum of Art, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, and the National Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis, TN.
