Offering a rare chance to see contemporary Korean ceramics from the museum collection, this exhibition highlights clay creations by four prominent 20th-century artists. Their various approaches, each one an heir to its own creative lineage, demonstrate innovations deeply rooted in Korea’s rich legacy of ceramics production.
On one side, the lively surface textures of stoneware and porcelain works by Roe Kyung-Jo (b. 1951), Kim See-man (b.1958), and Yoon Kwang-jo (b. 1946) bring fresh updates to traditional marbling and glazing techniques. Exhibition curator and Assistant Curator for Korean Art Yoon-Jee Choi notes that “buncheong (분청), the central decoration of Kim and Yoon’s vessels, is one of the most innovative techniques of Korean ceramics; the two artists advance this traditional method by exploring a sense of rhythm and spontaneity.”
Directly opposite are three smooth, black pillars of stacked onggi (옹기) — vessels historically used to carry fermented foods such as kimchi — by Cho Chung-Hyun (b. 1940). Standing as tall as people, each of these appealing works seems animated by its own unique personality, conveyed via subtle variations in shape and size.
Top image: installation view in the Koret Korean Galleries. Inset: Bottle, approx. 1980-2000. by Kim See-man (Korean, b. 1958). Stoneware decorated with white slip. Asian Art Museum, Gift of the artist, F1999.72.10. Photographs © Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.
