Tracing How Matter Retains Memory — The Art of Allyson Jeong and Diane Tuft

 Allyson Jeong, Unbound Adornment II, 2004. Courtesy the artist and NODE by ISA Art & Design

By PAUL LASTER, May 20, 2026

Pairing the shimmering stainless-steel and brass sculptures of South Korean artist and jeweler Allyson Jeong with the color pigment prints of American landscape photographer Diane Tuft, the exhibition “UNBOUND: Resonating Light” at NODE by ISA Art & Design in Jakarta, Indonesia, poetically delves into issues of material, scale, and environmental consequence.

Exploring material memory, or how environments and objects hold traces of past forces, the two artists unveil hidden histories in matter, linked by a shared theme of imprint and residue. Jeong’s sculptures capture human effort and energy in metal, showing tangible signs of digging, refining, and touch. Meanwhile, Tuft’s images depict landscapes shaped by receding water, with salts and minerals documenting geological changes over time.

 Diane Tuft, Jalto Island Beach I, Majuro Lagoon, Marshall Islands, 2018-2019. Courtesy the artist and NODE by ISA Art & Design 
 

Allyson Jeong, The Square of Sublime (Semi - Monumental), 2026. Courtesy the artist and NODE by ISA Art & Design

A multidisciplinary artist based in Seoul, Jeong investigates the intersection between physical material and sensory awareness. She blends industrial craftsmanship with organic, poetic expression. Trained in metalcraft, she effortlessly transitions between large metal sculptures, immersive installations, fine jewelry, and abstract paintings.

“I believe that even the smallest unit of matter contains a condensed force and tension capable of filling an entire world,” says Jeong. “My work begins with discovering this latent potential within materials and tracing the journey of how it flows through the human body and into the spaces we inhabit.”

 Installation view, UNBOUND: Resonating Light, NODE by ISA Art & Design. Courtesy NODE by ISA Art & Design
 

Tuft is a New York-based photographer and environmental activist. Since 1998, she has focused primarily on environmental photography, traveling to the most remote places on Earth—including both the North and South Poles—to document the visual effects of climate change, ozone depletion, and global warming. Her work is praised for its unique balance of breathtaking beauty and urgent environmental advocacy.

“Through visual communication, I have been trying to bring attention to the issue of climate change and global warming on our landscape,” says Tuft. “Climate Change is having a large impact on the Earth’s environment and on the future lives of humans and wildlife. My photographs highlight the fragility of the Earth’s environment.”

Allyson Jeong, Ginkgo Bracelet. Courtesy the artist and NODE by ISA Art & Design

Diane Tuft, Passages, 2022. Courtesy the artist and INODE by ISA Art & Design
 

Tuft’s large-format photographs, captured globally and illustrating landscape changes caused by climate change, are displayed alongside Jeong’s large-scale, craft-based metal sculptures made in Seoul. This setup fosters an ongoing dialogue between the minute tensions within materials and the broader, planetary effects of environmental change.

Jeong's work investigates the intrinsic connection between the human body and its surrounding spaces. For Jeong, materiality transcends being just a medium; it functions as a visual language that captures the movement of unseen energy and acts as a tool that records the point where the inner self intersects with the outer world. By expanding her handiwork to a larger scale, she prompts us to consider how environmental concerns start small before multiplying into global concerns. After decades of working with metals, Jeong learned that even the tiniest matter can hold an entire universe. In this exhibition, she frees this condensed energy, previously limited to the scale of the body, and extends it into the gallery's architectural space.

 Installation view, UNBOUND: Resonating Light, NODE by ISA Art & Design, Courtesy NODE by ISA Art & Design

Tuft’s art focuses on the natural world as a fragile, unpredictable force. Her landscapes, coastal scenes, and discovered abstractions depict environments affected by climate change. Beneath their beauty lies a message about man’s struggle with nature. Glaciers, rivers, and geological features symbolize a world under environmental pressure. Climate change causes chaos, leading to rising sea levels, drying lakes, eroding coastlines, and melting glaciers. Tuft challenges perceptions by blending disappearance and transformation, revealing the devastating impacts of climate change through her art.

Allyson Jeong, Unbound Adornment I, 2024. Courtesy the artist and NODE by ISA Art & Design

Tracing how matter retains memory, from tiny human touch marks to planetary climate scars, this exhibition invites us to observe, recall, and engage. WM

UNBOUND: Resonating Light – Allyson Jeong & Diane Tuft, NODE by ISA Art & Design, South Jakarta, Indonesia, April 25 – May 24, 2026.