After last year’s online-only edition of Collect it was good to get back to a physical show this year. It was also refreshing to see how many artists had taken advantage of the changed circumstances of lockdown to move their work in different directions; and galleries with an established roster of artists also tried to mix things up a little.
Cube Gallery
For Cube Gallery, Jin Eui Kim had moved on from functional vessels to two purely decorative wall pieces designed to tease the eye with tricks of perspective and geometry. But Myung Nam An’s vibrantly coloured Eye series – some resembling sea anemones with their delicately waved spines – remain a constant and are always a pleasure to see.
Jin-eui Kim: Perspective Wall Piece #2, at Cube Gallery
Jin-eui Kim: Perspective Wall Piece #1, at Cube Gallery
Works from Myung-nam An’s Eye Series, at Cube Gallery
Icheon Ceramic at Han Collection
Han Collection presented a range of ceramic wares from Icheon, and also some stunning pieces of wood furniture which we neglected to photograph. For us the square white bottles of Kim Hyun-jong, with cobalt blue decoration in the form of pine trees or lotus leaves, were maybe the most tempting (and surprisingly affordable), but the marbled celadon ware of Shin Chul and the bold mountain and cloud designed buncheong vase of Park Rae-heon came a close second. Kim So-min’s glittering wall decorations formed of tiny jewel-like ceramic flowers arranged in the shape of a moon jar or maebyeong vase made us think of a jar of colourful sweets.
Square bottles by Kim Hyun-jong
Kim So-min: Gold Vase (2020). White porcelain, gold lustre, reduction firing at 1250 degrees celsius
Kim So-min: Gold Moon Vase (2020). White porcelain, gold lustre, reduction firing at 1250 degrees celsius
Shin Chul: Celadon bowl with marbling design. Celadon clay, white clay, red clay, celadon glaze, reduction firing at 1260 degrees celsius, 15 x 7.5 cm
Shin Chul: Celadon globular lidded jar with marbling design. Celadon clay, white clay, red clay, celadon glaze, reduction firing at 1260 degrees celsius, 19.5 x 19 cm
Park Rae-heon: Buncheong jar with mountain and cloud design (2021). Buncheong clay, wheel throwing, white slip, inlay, oak ash glaze, reduction firing at 1260 degrees celsius, 40 x 42.5 cm
Lloyd Choi Gallery
Lloyd Choi’s gallery is always a pleasure to visit, and this year was no exception. Lee So-ra’s jogakbo fabrics have always attracted admiration, and this year a focal point of Choi’s installation was a gorgeous sea-blue silk patchwork cloth which served both as room divider and dramatic backdrop for sinuous silver vessels by Cho Sung-ho on one side and ceramics by Choi Boram and Park Seo-hee on the other.
Elsewhere in her room were ceramic wall-panels by Kwak Hye-young and Park Sung-wook, mother-of-pearl vases by Kim Hyun-ju and scorched wood sculptures and furniture by Park Hong-gu. A variety of vases by Park Sung-wook were also on display, showing his versatility. But most enjoyable of all were some painted stoneware panels by Lee Geum-young – Park Sung-wook’s wife – depicting, in a charming minhwa style, peonies or the interior of a tea-room.
Installation view including large ceramic panel by Kwak Hye-young (left)
Installation view including mother of pearl work by Kim Hyun-ju and scorched wood sculptures by Park Hong-gu
Installation view including ceramic panels by Park Sung-wook
Park Sung-wook: blue buncheong ware, 2009 – 2020. White slip applied stoneware with cobalt brush strokes reduction fired in traditional kiln
Lee Geum-young: Ceramic Minhwa: Tearoom 1 + 2 (2020) Painted stoneware with white slip sgraffito; 28 x 2.5 x 13cm and 24.5 x 2.5 x 14.5 cm
Lee Geum-young: Ceramic Minhwa – Peonies / Peonies and perfume bottle (2020). Painting on stoneware with white-slip sgraffito; traditional kiln firing, 38 x 3 x 28.5cm and 36.5 x 3 x 28.5cm and
Installation view including Lee So-ra: Oksa Jogakbo (Light Sea Blue) (2013) Oksa fine silk, natural cold dyed with plants and hand sewn by artist 200 x 189 cm
Lee So-ra: Ottchil Jogakbo #6, 2020. Salvaged ramie fabrics, applied Korean natural lacquer (ottchil) fine hand stitching framed in dark wood, 57.4 x 6 x 57.4 cm
Cho Sung-ho: Collection of Time 20-2 (2020). Silver 925, 31 x 11 x 10cm
Cho Sung-ho: Melt-drawing 21-1 (2021). Silver 925 16 x 17.5 x 19.5 cm
Park Hong-gu: pair of stools (2014). Carved and scorched Korean birchwood with Ottchil, 49 x 30 x 40 cm; 47.5 x 28 x 36.5 cm
Left: Park Seo-hee Polygonal bottle (2019) Porcelain, celadon glaze. Right: Choi Bo-ram: Carved Warm Breeze (2020) Hand built stoneware with drawn cobalt blue lines (unglazed and oxidation fired)
Kim Hyun-ju: Kim Hyun-ju, Another Pearl (paired) (2020) White Mother of Pearl, nickel and ottchil
Cavalliero Finn
Finally, Mimi Joung for Cavalliero Finn tackled the iconic Moon Jar form in her own unique way, with forms that almost looked as if they were made of crochet. Her A Lot of Good Nights series (2022) is inspired by Richard Brautigan’s dystopian postmodern novel In Watermelon Sugar
Mimi Joung: A Lot of Good Nights in Setting Grey Moon from Neptune; A Lot of Good Nights in Orange Moon from Venus; A Lot of Good Nights in White Moon from Pluto (2022), Porcelain, silver lustre 40 x 30 cm