Made in Korea Catalogue

32 Bruton Place, Mayfair, London W1J 6NW ¡ Tel +44(0)20 7499 0365 www.sladmorecontemporary.com

“Made in Korea” Contemporary Korean Ceramics and their Global Attraction

Hyeyoung CHO, 2015

Over the last fifty years, there have been many exhibitions on Korean ceramics both large and small in scale, in museums, galleries or alternative spaces. 2017-18 celebrates the diplomatic ties between the UK and Korea with many events planned to showcase the similarities and differences between the two cultures. “Made in Korea” is part of this festive cultural celebration. I had the pleasure of meeting artist/curator Kay Aplin during her research trip to Korea in 2016. She was enthusiastic about organizing an exhibition of contemporary Korean ceramics. It is exciting to see that the global ceramic scene is keen to study the development of contemporary Korean ceramics through exhibitions such as this, showcasing emerging artists of a younger generation.

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Many exhibitions until now have presented the overall ceramic history and aesthetics of Korea, often singularly with a moon jar (the round white porcelain jar) or a celadon jar decorated in the Goryeo period cloud and crane pattern. Since the turn of the new millennium, some notable exhibitions on modern and contemporary Korean ceramics have attracted much attention.

To mention a few; “Breaking the Surface: Contemporary Korean Ceramics” at the National Museum of Scotland “From the Fire: A Survey of Contemporary Korean Ceramics” toured thirteen US museums over seven years; “Tradition Transformed: Contemporary Korean Ceramics” toured five venues in Europe including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London; “Poetry in Clay: Korean Buncheong Ceramics from the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art”, Metropolitan Museum of Art; “ICHEON: Reviving the Korean Ceramics Tradition”, American Museum of Ceramic Art, USA; and the “C.C.C. Céramique Contemporaine Coréenne” at la Fondation d’Entreprise Bernardaud, Limoges, France in celebration of the hundred and thirty years of KoreaFrance relations. Such exhibitions have demonstrated the global influence of Korean ceramics. The field is evidently active both in Korea and outside the country. Their influence has been strengthened further with international events such as the Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale and the Cheongju International Craft Biennale.

What Korea has achieved today has been largely due to the support given by the government as it passed policies to preserve and to promote cultural assets as Korea was left with hardly anything after the Japanese occupation and the Korean War. It was not until the 1970s that Korea was able to root down cultural foundations for any kind of art to flourish.

Therefore, the development of contemporary ceramics in Korea is still young. The 1990s saw major changes taking place as many Koreans left the country to study abroad. Prior to this period, the majority went to study in the USA as grants were given to anyone who wished to study there. Consequently, much of modern and contemporary Korean ceramics has been influenced by modern American ceramics, particularly around the 1980s and the 1990s. With the turn of the millennium, people began to look toward the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Australia and other countries to study ceramics. Hence different influences began to enter into the field. Moreover, those who left the country to study abroad decided to stay on instead of returning to Korea.

This is the case with Sun Kim, Jin Eui Kim and Myung Nam An. After their studies, they decided to live and work in the UK. Sun Kim was born in Saudi Arabia and grew up in Brazil achieving her education in art in both the USA and the UK. Although her work is simple and controlled, her shapes reflect on her diverse cultural upbringing. Jin Eui Kim has lived and worked in the UK, achieving his PhD at Cardiff School of Art and Design.

His work has been exhibited widely both in the UK and Korea.

Kim’s skill in throwing vessels has enabled him to experiment with tones and circular patterns to influence the perception of three dimensional forms, creating optical illusions. Myung Nam An is gaining global recognition and she has exhibited in a number of leading international art fairs. Her organic forms are derived from the human being and explore and abstract appropriated imagery from culture. Her work creates an illusion that is almost surreal when assembled together as an installation. Bo Kyung Kim is currently studying in Germany. She has immaculate skills in creating cylindrical porcelain shapes, that appear like architectural features of a modern building.

Wook Jae Maeng, Duplicate Boundary-Mice.

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Second and third generations of immigrants, particularly in the USA, pursue an entirely different path in terms of their artistic expressions compared to those working in the UK and Korea. Sang Woo Kim, inspired by the Korean onggi, has transformed the authentic making method to create forms that are simple, compact and modern. The surfaces are burnished and polished to achieve a marble-like quality. Jung Eun Han’s work has a sense of humour while reflecting on human psyche through different objects and furniture pieces.

Eui Jeong Yoo, Celadon Bottle in the Shape of P.E.T bottle (CocaCola).

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The selection of artists for the “Made in Korea” exhibition is versatile with a new outlook on contemporary Korean ceramics, contributing to recent developments in the field.

Wook Jae Maeng participated at the 2013 special exhibition “Hot Rookies” for the Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale and has gained much global attention. His skills are flawless in creating installations, addressing issues related to life, animals and the natural environment. Jong Jin Park, although he is currently living and working in Korea, has participated in major art and craft fairs around the world. His work has been acquired extensively by private collectors as the unique skill in using paper-thin clay for quadrilateral vessels attracts much attention. Jae Jun Lee, Min Soo Lee and Hye Mi Lee display an array of excellence in their skills to make functional objects based on Korea’s rich and long tradition in porcelain. Kyung Won Baek oscillates between function and form. Her pieces appear like mechanical components, yet there is refinement at the same time. Among all the ceramicists in the exhibition, Chun Bok Lee is the oldest and is internationally recognized, winning many awards in leading ceramic events. His constructions that are pieced together coil by coil suggest endless possibilities in terms of composition. Eui Jeong Yoo is unique in that he directly delivers all the influences he absorbs unconsciously in our everyday life. They reference leading international brands such as Nike, Adidas, Louis Vuitton; those that Korean people in general are fanatic about. He is responding in his way to the popular culture of Korea.

Although the majority of ceramicists in the exhibition present their own narrative experiences, the root of their practice derives directly and indirectly from the authentic making skills of Korea. This is because of their training. Those who have studied in Korean universities for their undergraduate degrees will have at some point learned the basic Korean making skills in celadon inlay, buncheong white slip brushing, stamping and more. It is mandatory for Korean ceramicists to have acquired such skills.

On a closing note, I would simply like to state that today we co-exist together globally and that there is so much that we are able to learn and share between cultures and continents.

I hope the exhibition will contribute to further interests in contemporary Korean ceramics.

MAY 2017 HYEYOUNG CHO Specialist in Contemporary Korean Ceramics and Craft

The “Made in Korea” exhibition features the current trend of contemporary Korean ceramics through the fifteen selected ceramicists. Each have a unique language in clay, whether they are making vessels or expressive works – some decorative, some conceptual and some technical. The exhibition certainly has a younger approach, suggesting new paradigms in the world of contemporary ceramics and not just contemporary Korean ceramics.

Finally, I wish to express my deepest congratulations to Gerry Farrell and Kay Aplin on their initiative to organize an exhibition on contemporary Korean ceramics. At the same time, I would like to also congratulate the ceramicists in the exhibition for their unique talents. Well done. I hope the exhibition gains much success.

Veronica Juyoun Byun - MemoirsofLady-detail.

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Myung Nam An was born and brought up in Seoul, and has been based in London since 2005 when she moved to London to study ceramics at Camberwell College of Art and Design. An’s incredibly intricate and detailed ceramics tell stories using universal symbols. She explores abstract appropriated images from her culture and translates these onto the surface of the sculptures.

The Eye Series, unique pieces in three sizes: Large Eye, 9” H x 9” W x 9” D (23cm H x 23cm W x 23cm D) Porcelain Medium Eye 7” H x 7” W x 5” D (19cm H x 19cm W x13cm D) Porcelain Small Eye 5” H x 5” W x 5” D (13cm H x 13cm W x 12cm D) Porcelain 7

Kyung Won Baek gained an MFA in Ceramics at Seoul National University in 2013. At Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Centre, Denmark in 2014, she explored wood firing, which had a profound impact on her work.

Baek’s works are vessel-sculptures using pinching and coiling techniques. Her inspiration comes predominantly from architecture and mechanical devices, often coiling directly with clay to produce unexpected results.

Architectural Drawing 01 2”- 4” H x 8” -14” W (5-10 cm H x 20-35 cm W) Porcelain 8

Combined 10 2”- 4” H x 8” - 14” W (5-10 cm H x 20-35 cm W) Porcelain 9

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1. Embracing Our Differences 13” H x 16” W x 4” D (33cm H x 40cm W x 10cm D) Glaze Stoneware 2. Memoirs of Lady 9” H x 4” W x 4” D (23cm H x 10cm W x 10cm D) Glazed Porcelain

Veronica Juyoun Byun was born in Seoul, Korea and lives and works in New Jersey. She has an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design and a BFA from Alfred University, New York. Byun’s practice evolves from memories and questioning of her Korean identity. The colours and customs of Korea are often a source of inspiration.

Her work is always defined by interior space, where the wall activates an imaginary passage between two cultures.

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Jung Eun Han graduated with an MA in Ceramics from Central Saint Martins College of Art in 2014. Han’s decorative ceramics are inspired by her observations of the human condition, which she interprets and translates into the design narrative. Her pieces reveal subtle elements of humour which she weaves skillfully into the form and surface decoration playfully exploring anthropomorphic and graphic elements.

Stool series 23” H x 14” W x18” D (58cm H x 35cm W x 46cm D) Mixed media

The toy for adult 12” H x 32” W x 30” D (30cm H x 80cm W x 76cm D) Mixed media

Detail of stool series

Bo Kyung Kim is currently studying an MA in Product Design and Applied Art at Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule in Germany. Kim’s work represents “a quiet simplicity” outwardly, but it contains enormous practice to improve the technical degree of completion within. The main characteristic of her work is purity of form, adding surface geometric decoration which enhances, and never interferes with, the original form.

Pictured, a selection of works from the Zylinder series by Bo Kyung Kim. 16

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Jin Eui Kim moved from South Korea to study Ceramics at Cardiff School of Art & Design, where he lives and works. He gained a PhD studying the illusory effects of the application of tonal bands to three-dimensional surfaces. Kim’s work attracts viewers through visual phenomena as well as physical confusions appearing on the surface of the ceramic, resulting in works that are both visually and intellectually challenging.

1. Lower form 3” H x 12” D (8cm H x 31cm D) Ceramic 2. Cylindrical form 11” H x 6” D (28cm H x 16cm D) Ceramic 3. Trapezoid form 7” H x 9” D (17cm H x 24cm D) Ceramic 18

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Sun Kim is a Korean ceramist brought up in Brazil. She graduated in BA Ceramics from Alfred University, New York in 2003. Since 2004 she has been based in the UK, working from her studio in South London. Kim’s work focuses on making functional objects which explore the relationship between the traditional and the contemporary. Inspiration comes from her surroundings - objects and their historical context, architecture, colour, design and nature.

Pictured, a selection of works from the Lidded Jar series by Sun Kim. 21

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Sang Woo Kim graduated from Chonnam National University in 2004. Thereafter he developed his practice as an Onggi master in Boseong, Korea. From 2007 he worked in both Switzerland and Korea, completing his MFA from Seoul University in 2014. He is based in France. Kim uses the skills learnt making traditional onggi jars in his ceramic sculptural work. He is inspired by the round shapes that symbolise the ideal state of nature.

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1. Spring epilogue I 16” H x 12” W x 10” D (41cm H x 30cm W x 23cm D) Ceramic 2. Spring epilogue II 15” H x 13” W x 11” D (37cm H x 33cm W x 29cm D) Ceramics 3. Spring epilogue III 12” h x 9” W x 7” D (29cm H x 22cm W x 18cm D) Ceramics 23

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Chun Bok Lee is Professor of Ceramics and Glass at Namseoul University in Korea. Lee’s work is concerned with sensory spaces and volume. He utilizes porcelain, and techniques include pinching, coiling and polishing. Impressions experienced and observed during his walks in the forest are revealed through various lines and dots arranged on the surface of the work to play the role of manipulating light effects, creating transparency and shadows.

1. Still Lane 11” H x 9” W x 10” D (28cm H x 22cm W x 26cm D) Porcelain 2. Floating Forest 11” H x 15” W x 6” D (29cm H x 38cm W x 14cm D) Porcelain 3. West Forest 17 11” H x 7” W x 6” D (27cm H x 17cm W x 16cm D) Porcelain 27

Hye Mi Lee graduated with an MFA in Ceramic Art from Seoul National University. Lee makes thrown vessels in stoneware and porcelain at Pildong Pottery in Seoul, which she established with a group of ceramists, where they run courses whilst continuing to create and exhibit. Her working method starts with the glaze first, from which she develops ideas about shape, size, and method of firing.

Pictured, a selection of works by Hye Mi Lee. 29

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Jae Jun Lee studied MFA Ceramics at Seoul National University. He describes his practice, “Ten years ago, I started throwing, and now I make a living making bowls. Sometimes I still feel like a beginner. Every day, I realise I need much longer and more effort to be skilled. There are so many products in the world. Generally, we are becoming less interested in hand crafted techniques as they compete with mechanised systems.”

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1. Mini Bowl Set 2” H x 1” Ø , 1.5” H x 1” Ø , 1” h x .5” Ø (6cm x 3cm, 4cm x 2cm, 2cm x 1cm), Porcelain 2. Mini Balwoo Set 2” H x 2” Ø (4cm H x 5cm Ø) each set, Porcelain 3. M Type Dish 2” H x 7”Ø (4cm H x 18 Ø), Porcelain 30

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1. Cylinders 4” H x 18” Ø (10cm H x 45cm Ø ) Unique Set includes 5 pieces in white porcelain 2. A selection of works by Min Soo Lee

Min Soo Lee graduated with an MFA in Ceramics from Seoul National University in 2012 and is currently artist in residence at Yanggu Porcelain Museum in Korea. Lee’s practice involves creating forms with multiple layers of colour and cutting the objects to reveal the strata. Multicasting is a particular technique of slip-casting using distinct coloured slips in layers, which he has evolved into his own unique method by combining with wheel-throwing.

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Wook Jae Maeng completed his PhD in Ceramics at Kookmin University, Seoul in 2015. For Maeng, art is a vehicle to communicate contemporary social and environmental problems by stimulating emotion, sensibilities and memories.

His work expresses the nature of the relationship between humans and other creatures - a relationship that, in order to thrive, demands careful coexistence and balance between the urban and the natural world.

1. A Large Family no.1 9.4” H x 7” W x 18.1” D (24cm H x 18cm W x 46cm D) Porcelain 2. Duplicate Boundary-Mice 4.7” H x 6.3” W x 11” D (12cm H x 16cm W x 28cm D) Porcelain with a cement base 3. A Lion 9.4” H x 10.2” W x 14.2” D (24cm H x 26cm W x 36cm D) Porcelain 34

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Jong Jin Park studied MA Ceramics at Cardiff University, and is studying for a PhD at Kookmin University, Seoul. Park investigates the remarkable ability of ceramics to deceive the eye. By experimenting with layering paper and porcelain slip, he has created giant millefeuilles which are at once delicate, strong and have an almost wood-like quality. Park manipulates the senses of the viewer to make you wonder - what is real?

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1. Artistic Stratum 3 8” H x 15” W x 11” D (20cm H x 38cm W x 28cm D) Porcelain with colour stain 2. Artistic Stratum 1 7” H x 7” W x 15” D (17cm H x 17cm W x 42cm D) Porcelain with colour stain 3. Artistic Stratum 2 8” H x 8” W x 14” D (20cm H x 20cm W x 36cm D) Porcelain with colour stain 37

Eui Jeong Yoo lives and works in Seoul, Korea, and is currently doing a PhD in Ceramics at Hongik University. Yoo is interested in the infiltration of commercial brands into Korea since the late 1980s. He enjoys observing the social effects brought on by capitalism and materialism. His work is known for mixing and matching popular commercial objects through skillfully combining a number of different ceramic techniques.

Pictured, a selection of works by Eui Jeong Yoo. 39

I was introduced to Kay Aplin by Myung Nam An, whose wonderful work I have shown in the gallery for the last few years. Kay told me of her plans to visit Korea and organise this exhibition as part of British Ceramics Biennial 2017. I have a deep affection for ceramics as part of my obsession with sculpture and objects and our recent pottery shows at the Sladmore have met with a gratifyingly enthusiastic response, so I was eager to be part of such an exciting idea.

I was amazed on my first visit to Kay’s Ceramic House.

She turned her home into a monument to ceramics and a celebration of making in 2011. I heartily recommend a visit when you are in the Brighton area. The whole house is made of pottery and has a fantastic range of pieces to see. She has built a reputation for curating exhibitions of contemporary ceramics featuring the work of both emerging and leading international ceramists, from all around the world, and the variety of the work and the way it is displayed is a revelation.

In recent years, Kay has been developing large-scale wallbased ceramic installations for exhibition and by commission.

Explorations into new techniques of slip casting porcelain and soda wood firing have resulted in the creation of botanicalinspired work responding to place. Botanical Structures is a response to the Danish summer landscape and exhibited at European Ceramic Context 2014 in Denmark. In a Shetland Landscape featured a representation of the islands’ microflora, exhibited at Shetland Museum and Archives. The pieces illustrated here are a selection from these recent shows.

Gerry Farrell, 2017

Made in Korea: An Introduction

Kay Aplin

The show Made in Korea is part of a cultural exchange between the UK and Korea evolving throughout 2017 in Brighton, London, Stoke-on-Trent and Seoul. With 20 artists from Korea, 5 from the UK, and encompassing 4 exhibitions, 4 concerts, an international residency, and the launch of a unique audio guide, Made in Korea is seventh and most ambitious Ceramic House project to date.

The phrase ‘Made in Korea’ is often synonymous with the mass production of ephemeral objects. Korean ceramic tradition stretches back several millennia, and the artists featured throughout this project reinterpret and rework this historic legacy.

The displayed works combine contemporary references and highly individualised techniques, placing this impressive heritage within the world of globalised culture.

The idea for Made in Korea came from meeting Kyung Won Baek at the International Ceramic Research Centre in Denmark in 2014. Both of us were artists-in-residence, working on independent projects. We shared the experience of discovering the astonishing effects that can be obtained through soda-wood

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firing, a specialist technique of firing ceramics. I was developing a new body of botanical-inspired work in response to the Danish summer landscape that has had a lasting influence on my practice. It is this soda-wood fired work, Botanical Structures III, that I am proud to present in this exhibition. I travelled to South Korea in autumn 2016 to research the project assisted by an itinerary prepared by Baek, meeting artists in their studios, visiting ceramic centres, residencies, museums and galleries.

I studied collections of traditional Korean ceramics as well as contemporary exhibitions, and was enthralled by the exceptional quality of everything I saw. The artists selected represent some of the most exciting practitioners working today and it is an honour to present their work at Sladmore Contemporary.

My own practice is in architectural ceramics, creating largescale tiled installations for public and private spaces. Mounting exhibitions at The Ceramic House has led to a new side-line in curating and it has been a rewarding and fascinating journey.

Initially, inviting artists personally known to me, the scope and ambition of The Ceramic House exhibitions has grown in parallel with the spread of tiled features throughout the space. I have hugely enjoyed developing increasingly wide-ranging projects and inviting world-class artists to participate in something slightly out of the ordinary.

The Ceramic House is my home. It is no ordinary dwelling. It is a personal story reflecting my taste in art and my desire to be surrounded by beautiful things, and not just objects, but the whole house as the artwork. Since 2010, I have been gradually covering surfaces throughout the house and garden with permanent tiled installations, creating a very rich, tactile, fantastical space. It is also a pop-up gallery, and for the last seven years I have been curating exhibitions of the highest standard of international contemporary ceramics within this unusual domestic setting. I am thrilled that a Ceramic House exhibition is transferring to Sladmore Contemporary. It is an exciting new step for developing projects outside of the domestic arena.

Kay Aplin Artist and Curator 43

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Kay Aplin 1. Botanical Structures II, an installation. Soda wood fired porcelain 2. Botanical Structures Double feather 21” H x 8” W (53cm H x 20cm W) Soda wood fired porcelain 3. Botanical Structures Oats 24” H x 6” W (60cm H x 15cm W) Soda wood fired porcelain 44

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