London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Exhibition news: Made in Korea – Ceramics at Sladmore Contemporary

The ceramics exhibition that was in Brighton during May will be coming to London in July:

Made in Korea

Sladmore Contemporary | 32 Bruton Place | Off Berkeley Square | London W1J 6NW | www.sladmorecontemporary.com
Wed 12 Jul – Fri 28 July 2017
Mon – Thu 10am – 6pm | Fri 10am – 5pm | Weekends + evenings by appointment

Made in Korea

Made in Korea is a cultural exchange between the UK and Korea evolving throughout 2017. 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.

Following its launch at the Ceramic House, Brighton, Sladmore Contemporary are delighted to present this exhibition of exquisite Korean ceramics in Bruton Place. The exhibition is curated by ceramist Kay Aplin who will also be showing her own work.

Myung+Nam+An+photogrpaher+Benedict+JohnsonMyung 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.

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.

Sun KimSun 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.

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.

JAEJUN+LEE+Balwoo+Set+2Jae Jun Lee studied M.F.A 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.”

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.

Jin Eui KimJin 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.

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.

Jongjin PARKJong 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?

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.

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.

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.

Sang Woo KimSang 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.

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.

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.

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