Lee So-ra
Textile artist Lee So-ra reinterprets ‘Jogakbo’, the traditional Korean patchwork crafted from segments of salvaged fabrics, as a medium for contemporary artworks. Informed by her studies in German literature and her affinity with the early modernist art movement, Lee integrates these influences into her compositions of lines and shapes.
This juxtaposes with her mastery of traditional hand-stitching techniques and use of delicate, unassuming materials. Each fragment undergoes an intricate double-hemming process, uniquely hers, before being intricately sewn together to form her expansive artworks. She arranges the fragments spontaneously, allowing her intuition to guide the creation of geometric patterns. Employing her precise ‘Saamssol’ stitching technique, the level of detail can only be fully appreciated up close.
Kim Hyun-ju
Explores the ancient technique of mother-of pearl inlay to give a living palette to metal vessel forms. The ethereal quality of the mother-of-pearl interacts with the metal surface, producing an array of tones and enhancing the luminosity of the shell. Her pieces constantly interact with the changing light of their surroundings, transforming with the shifting patterns of sunlight and shadow.
Yun Ju-cheol
Innovative ceramicist, Yun creates tactile ceramics using his technique named ‘Cheomjang’. Yun developed Cheomjang from a tradition that dates back to the 15th Century, in which white slip is applied to a pot with a decorated surface., Yun pushes this process repeating this step as much as a hundred times to achieve a sensational surface. Using a traditional rice straw brush that creates natural and irregular marks, Yun ‘builds’ multiple spikes that range and connect over the body of pots. The artist adorns the resulting peaks and textures with gold to honour the birth of new technique from a traditional method.
Park Sung-wook
Established ceramicist Park Sung-wook specialises in Buncheong, a technique from the Joseon dynasty (15th-16th century) characterised by the application of white slip on dark clay. Grounded by a rich heritage of ceramic traditions, he balances this with a commitment to innovating through his work.
His contemporary approach is most evident in his two-dimensional work. Within the Pyeon / Fragment Series, he experiments with historical techniques to develop new applications. Breaking down conventional ceramic forms, Park crafts ceramic paintings assembled from numerous small fragments. Each component undergoes multiple coatings of slip to achieve his intricate surfaces. His powerful wall series requires hundreds of individual stoneware pieces to complete a single artwork.
Jo Hee-jin
Jo Hee-jin is a ceramist who centres ideas of emotion in her work. She creates unconventional objects that depict her own feelings. Her work explores questions around the function and purpose of ceramics, challenging the realm of utilitarian ceramic art in South Korea. From a distance, her works can appear as if they are living creatures – the organic structures are created using thousands of button size patches of clay.
Working with such small quantities of clay means the artist must work at speed to prevent the clay from drying out and to ensure a stable structure. Repetition and variation are significant elements in her process and evident in each unique piece. Jo works responsively, reflecting on both the clay and her emotions to create the organic nature of her works. She deliberately leaves works ‘incomplete, imbalanced and unfinished’ as both a challenge to herself and to the viewer.
Yusun Won
An award-winning emerging artist, Yusun Won founded her ceramic practice in Cardiff, UK where she completed an MA. She recently moved back to South Korea, to set up a studio in Seoul. Won has been developing innovative ways to approach ceramic making. She offers a new perspective on traditional Korean artefacts through unexpected reinterpretations that disrupt the conventional notions of utility in Korean ceramic tradition.
Departing from her birthplace on Jeju island in Korea to settle in the United Kingdom, Won embraced a new ideas and values. A series that sought to investigate unexpected spaces within her pieces, started from observing an 18th-century Joseon Dynasty vessel made by combining two different forms. Observing the joint, she wondered whether opening it might reveal a concealed space. Through the act of partitioning vessels, she segregates space into inner and outer dimensions and also unlocks the potential for new, hidden forms to emerge.
Mok-su
Mok-su (meaning a carpenter in Korean), has adopted woodcarving as a meditational practice to calm his restless mind. Up close, countless gouge marks covering the entire body of each work of art can be seen. Mok-su starts from a block of wood, without any planned sketch or design and meditates to be in the moment of each carve or chip of wood, letting the works come into being.
The subtle differences within the works, hint at his pursuit of neither perfection nor imperfection. Further engaging with nature, he experiments to create his own natural colour palette, mixing pigments taken natural materials such as charcoal, chalk, earth, indigo, herbs, seashells, Korean calligraphy ink and minerals. Often his works are mistaken for other materials like leather, marble or that they were discovered in the deep woods, drawing viewers to the wonders of the material world.
Kim Min-wook
Loewe Craft Prize Finalist, Kim Min-wook, born in Busan, South Korea, is a self-taught woodturner, practicing since 2013. Kim is drawn to wood that shows the character of time’s passage. He revels in the intricate patterns left by insects, the weathered textures shaped by rain and wind, and the hues of decay. Embracing these imperfections, he acknowledges nature’s imprint and builds upon its narrative. Kim’s emphasis lies in showcasing the innate qualities of the natural material, prioritising this over considerations of design or practicality.
