Korean crafts will again be strongly represented at COLLECT this year, with a stall on the ground floor featuring a dozen artists supported by the Korea Craft & Design Foundation, and three independent artists displaying on the top floor. The exhibition is at Saatchi Gallery, 2-6 February.
Saatchi Gallery | Duke of York’s HQ | King’s Road | London SW3 4RY | www.collect17.org.uk
Thu 2 Feb: 12pm – 6pm | Fri 3 – Sun 5 Feb: 11am – 6pm | Mon 6 Feb: 11am – 4pm
Korea Craft & Design Foundation
Stand 3-4
Korea Craft & Design Foundation (KCDF) is a public organisation under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in South Korea.
Hae-cho Chung: Rhythm, the Y.G.B, (2015). h40×w30×d30 cm, ottchil, hemp cloth. Photo: Woojin Park
Founded to promote and support Korean craft and design, KCDF plays an important role in developing a global awareness and understanding of Korea’s rich craft and design heritage. The organisation provides craftsmen, designers, cultural experts and professionals in both academic and industrial fields, with opportunities to experience Korean culture through design objects, many of which remain at the heart of Korean daily life. In addition, it pursues a variety of projects relating to research and exhibitions.
Seunghun Byun, ceramic | Haecho Chung, ottchil | Boyoung Jung, textile | Deokho Kim, ceramic | Hyunju Kim, metal | Jinsik Kim, metal, stone | Hwajin Lee, wooden, ottchil | Jongmin Lee, ceramic | Joohyung Park, wooden, ottchil, metal | Seohee Park, ceramic | Sungwook Park, ceramic | Jaesun Won, jewellery
Soojin Kang
Korean-born Soojin Kang lives and works in London.
Soojin Kang: The Waves in the Breeze (2015). h300 x w200 cm silk, jute, cotton and wood photo: Ollie Hammock
She has been working on her full-time art practice since she graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2009. Her practice has been evolving from an early interest in fashion and textile design through a diverse range of media, including woven sculpture, tapestry, installation and video. Her objective is to infuse the sense and idea of emotional sustainability through craftsmanship.
Seung-hyun Lee
In a specialised society, a single person will rarely undertake a project from beginning to end – except in the studio of a craftsperson.
Seung Hyun Lee: Vase 2015_01 (2015). H23.5×W15×D9 Cm, Copper Photo: KC Studio
Seung Hyun Lee has prepared for Collect Open 2017 by committing to frank talk about the working processes she encounters as a craftsperson: for example, a particular TIG welding skill she has developed, that connects the parts without silver soldering, making the process more efficient. Instead of grinding and polishing the connected parts, she treats the welded joints as design elements. The textures of her pieces, unlike those of factory products, arise from concerns about the hand-made process and the requirements of a one-person working system.
Cheon Wooseon
Cheon Wooseon (b.1976), who studied metalwork through graduate school at Kyonggi University, has gained fame as the winner of many art contests, including the Special Prize at the 2013 Cheongju International Craft Biennale, and as a featured artist at various art fairs.
Cheon Woo-seon: Jar with Cracks 0115m (2015). H70×Diameter 62 Cm Cooper, Iron. Photo: Studio Munch
Jar with Cracks0115, inspired by white porcelain moon jars from the Joseon Dynasty, clearly demonstrates the artist’s adeptness at creating two-dimensional planes by intricately connecting a number of fine metal lines and developing them into three-dimensional objects. Unlike a traditional smooth-faced moon jar, his metal jar is composed of numerous cracks and gaps between metal lines, thereby communicating the significance of emptying and filling.
