See available works in the viewing room

Stephanie Kim Gallery is proud to present Slice of Watermelon by Hongbin Kim and Yong Eun Kwon, the first duo exhibition from the two artists recognized for their exhilarating use of color and energy. 

While this is the first time Hongbin Kim and Yong Eun Kwon have shown their works together, the two artists have a shared past and their works explore the challenges, energy and excitement of New York through the use of fluorescent color, movement and energy. Both earned BAs and MFAs from two of most prestigious art schools in Korea, Hongik University and Ewha Women’s University. Subsequently, they earned MFAs from School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York, an experience to which they refer as a process of “unlearning and reimagining” their work in the context of New York City. 

Hongbin Kim is also known as “Van” from the Korean verb “vanhada” which has a dual meaning: "to fall in love" and "to oppose." This duality symbolizes the artist's pursuit of beauty and conflict inherent in his creative process, as well as his ambivalent view of the situations individuals face in modern society. Kim’s work captures the 'chaos of New York' and associated 'anxiety of an unsettled life.' This visual expression of the stimuli and stress of the city comes to life through exaggerated colors, movement and energy which dramatically articulate his experiences. Kim explores the nature of vibrant surfaces, pushing the properties of acrylic paint to new levels. Among the distinctive features of his works are Kim’s playful manipulations of paint which seem to explode from the canvases. 

Yong Eun Kwon is often associated with a character from her work called “Fish Daegari,” literally “fish head” in Korean. This pink, half-human-half-fish persona informs many elements of her painting. Kwon works across two-dimensional and three-dimensional spaces, humorously creating portraits of incomplete modern humans who seek to escape the excessive competition, endless work, complicated thoughts and emotions of their daily lives. She aims to convey humorously, through the juxtaposition of humans and fish, that irrational, emotional, and irrepressible desire to be free. Alcohol often appears in her work. This is reminiscent of the liberation of citizens in the ancient Dionysus Festival. The fish head is a mask worn for the Dionysus Festival in her art world. Kwon’s works are driven by the desire for all of us to live more authentic lives, to take more time to find happiness, to see that our lives are short and finite, and as she often humorously points out, “that beneath our skins, we're all just pink meatballs!

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Hongbin Kim x Yong Eun Kwon Slice of Watermelon

Opening Reception on July 26th, 7-10pm 

View by appointment only until Sept 22, 2024

Stephanie Kim Gallery 78 Franklin St., 2nd Floor New York, NY 10013

Please rsvp to Director@SleepersSummit.com

To Learn more: stephaniekimgallery.com

Park West Gallery presents SoHo’s Got Seoul, a first-of-its-kind art exhibition of over 20 works by five multi-talented Korean artists, K-Pop and K-Drama stars, Jae-Yong CHOI, KO Jun, Jian KWON (Solbi), Min-Woo LEE, Jun SHIM (Negativ). The exhibition is curated by Dr. Stephanie Seunmgin Kim whohas curated exhibitions and festivals in 22 cities across the globe and worked with over 600 artists across a range of disciplines.

At: MadBerry Farmhouse Myeongdong.

Organized by: NextOn, Root341, and Sleepers Summit

Artworks by: Massimiliano Moro, Sui Park, William Darrell, Sammy Lee

The synthesis of art and agriculture in the heart of the city
A six-story building in Myeong-dong is the new home of MADBERRY Farmhouse, a cutting-
edge strawberry farm using hydroponic indoor farming methods to cultivate the most
challenging crop: strawberries. MADBERRY is also an art and cultural hub, bringing artists,
agriculture and the community together in a new and powerful way. The combination is…
refreshing. Just as farms on the first and the second floor bring air and light and beauty,
artworks commissioned by Root341 and Sleepers Summit add to the aesthetic and create a
thought-provoking atmosphere.

Curated by Dr. Stephanie Seungmin Kim

Hosted by UNESCO ICDH

Organized by Sleepers Summit and C-47 Post Studio

Exhibition Space at UNESCO ICDH 2nd floor Exhibition Hall

Artwork by: Minsang Cho, Leenam Lee, Sammy Lee and Minsu Oh

The exhibition also featured three rooms with five dedicated mini documentary featuring images from Memory of the World, paired with infographic telling the story through our important documentary heritage.

Museum Myungwon at Kookmin University

Host: Kookmin University

Curated by: Stephanie Kim, Sae Eun Lee, and Matt Incledon

Featured Artists: Bridget Riley, Luke Elwes, Sammy Lee, and Vakki

도연희 진행 전시 디자인: 제로링궐 (박태원, 임성엽, 임재남, 전지은)

협력 : 허드슨 커틀러, 플랙스 , 이스카이아트

Gallery46, Whitechapel, LONDON

– Artists: Axel Void, Cosimo Sturniolo, Dongwuk Heo, Hanuk Jung, Hayoung Kim, Jihyun Yu, João Villas, Joon Choi, Koh Sang Woo, Kristina Chan, Ligyung, Mimi Joung, Sangyong Lee, Vakki, Zoë Marden

– Curated by Dr Stephanie Seungmin Kim

– Assistant curator: Yeony Do

– SUPPORTED BY LONDONNEWCASTLE & SSKETCH

#Touch46 #Touchiskai

The exhibition brings back ‘touch’ which has been tabooed and sterilised recently with the pandemic. While our touch has been scrutinised and recorded, touch-screen devices became windows for human interaction. Some people were in touch with nature, finding respite from the sudden halting of normal life, some had to suffer in the proximity of others and some were alone, devoid of touch. The exhibition began with thoughts of revitalising the joie de vivre, much needed after repeated lockdowns, but it inevitably brought the memory of our recent loss and heightened perception. The different iterations of touch are revealed through this exhibition, Touch. Audiences are open to closeness, pressure, warmth, memories and pain if they are willing, or open to be touched.

While not being naively optimistic, the exhibition encourages touches to reflect and celebrate. Some works are contemplative while being playful; the exhibition curator Stephanie Seungmin Kim wanted to work with artists she admires and who encapsulate the exhibition’s spirit. The exhibition will present celebrated work from South Korea mixing mediums and senses from artists working in the UK .

–      2017.9.6 – 2017.9.17

–      Curating and directing

–       Location: Ordos International Convention and Exhibition Center, Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China

–       Hosted by United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

–       Organised by China Youth Centre for International Exchange

–       Sponsored by Sansonite, Subaru and Korea Forest Service

–       Collaboration with China Guaghua foundation, CARI, Kansong art and culture foundation and Forest China

–       Artists: aCYf- China Youth Center for international exchange, Guy badeaux,
Yunhao bai,
Sehee Sarah bark, Manfruelli batti, Clear,
Francois Cointe, Agnes Denes, Jinyong Dou, ECOTV, Forest China,
Future Forest, Djamel Ghanem, Jianying Gong,
Buri Gude,
James Harris, Mengxing Hu,
Huan Huang, Kyoung Kap Min, Vladimir Kazanevsky, Yazan Khalili, Minkyu Kim,
Myung-Woo Kim,
Nampyo Kim,
Sukhoon Kim,
Yejeong Ko and Youngbo Kim, Leenam lee, Sea Hyun Lee, Wonsoo Lee, Myoung Ho Lee, Yidan Leng, Xiongyi Li, Zhongjun Li, Fu Li,
Jian Liang,
Damien MacDonald, Almagul Menlibayeva, Michael Munene, Nahum, Yongkil Oh,
Sun-Mi Park,
Se Yoon Park,
Placide,
Robert Rousso,
SaSha Rushworth,
John Sabraw,
George Steinmetz, Richard Streitmatter-Tran, Serkan Taycan, Cristian Topan, Vomorin, Nanyi Wang, Aijun Wang, Hua Xu, Wei Zhang, Xinzhong Zhang, Yuanwu Zheng

Save the earth Green Corps is a global anti-desertification campaign co-led by Future Forest, All-China Youth Federation, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the World federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) and UN Academic Impact (UNAI) Korea. For the UNCCD COP13 (Conference of the Parties: thirteenth Session), Stephanie Seungmin Kim curated an exhibition entitled Planting for Hope, Land for Life, which features ninety works by fifty-seven artists. The work exhibited included paintings, photographs, cartoons and caricatures, as well as seven documentary videos that portray the anti-desertification of five environmental organisations. There were six themes— Desertification/Anthropocene; Flee or Fight; Call for Action; Man and Nature; Slow Down, Get Sustainable; and Human Life and Culture…The World— to explore the ways in which contemporary art is currently addressing global ecological issues.

The exhibition showed the desertification and land degradation interpreted through the artists’ viewpoints, and played a role in raising awareness about the necessity of environmental protection internationally, beyond Korea and China.

–    Title Exhibition for 1st Jikji Korea International Festival

–    Location: Cheongju Cultural Centre, Korea

–    Curating and directing

–    Organised by: Cheongju-si / Cheongju Jikji Korea

–    Sponsored by: SONY, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Nonghyup

–    Artists: Sangsoo Ahn, Leenam Lee, Junghwa Choi, Bien-U Bae, Moonassi, Jian Kwon, Suhee Kim, Notion Architecture, Hanuk Jung, Youngil Shin, Hyukyoung Um, Kwangho Lee, Mimi Joung, Minjeong Guem, Kyungtack Hong, Inho Lim, Sangjin Kim, Sang Un Jeon, Seung Ae Lee, Kyudong Jung, Hyeyoung Koo, Brigitte Stepputtis, Burcu Yağcıoğlu, Dario Bartolini, Gina Czarnecki, Jeremy Bailey,
Jürgen Dünhofen, Marshmallow Laser Feast, Miao Xiaochun, Phil Dobson, Ron Arad, Ryoichi Kurokawa, Semiconductor, Shona Kitchen, William Kentridge

Jikji is the title of the oldest known book to be printed using movable metal type. It is a Korean Buddhist document of Zen teaching made in Cheongju in 1377. Jikji, the Golden Seed was an exhibition celebrating this event and was curated by Stephanie Seungmin Kim. The impact of the printed word on the world were interpreted by diverse disciplines. Exhibits ranging from fragile 600-year old cultural artefacts to a 60-degree virtual reality film, and from highly crafted work made from thousands of ceramic pieces spelling the word ‘seed’ in the Hangul (Korean) alphabet to a DNA portrait created on the glass from human cells.

The exhibition brings together 41 contemporary artists, architects and designers from 11 countries, each of whom is critically engaged with the idea of innovation and many of whom have produced new work for the occasion.  The chief curator Stephanie Seungmin Kim devised the EI of the Festival to, and worked with Ab Rogers Design to and place the exhibition over 2000 square feet, to provide an immersive experience that traversed time and space.

Exhibition of Media Artists from Gwangju Metropolitan City
Miroo Halls, UNESCO Headquaters in Paris

Curated by Stephanie Seungmin Kim

광주지역 작가 14명의 미디어아트 작품이 프랑스 파리 유네스코본부에 처음으로 전시된다. 광주광역시는 오는 10월7일부터 9일까지 유네스코본부에서 ‘유산, 빛을 만나다’(Heritage, Legacy and Light)를 주제로 ‘광주 미디어아트 작가 작품 전시회’를 개최한다고 밝혔다. 광주시와 유네스코한국위원회, 주 유네스코대한민국대표부가 공동 주최하고 삼성전자가 후원하는 이번 전시회는 김승민 큐레이터가 기획을 했다.

이 전시회는 유네스코 한국위원회 창립 60주년을 기념하는 자리이기도 하다. 광주의 대표 작가들이 인류의 공존과 협력이라는 유네스코의 설립 목적과 이념에 영감을 받아 제작한 미디어아트 작품 28점이 전시된다. 참여 착가는 제2의 백남준으로 불리며 전 세계 컬렉터들의 주목을 받고 유네스코한국위원회 문화예술 친선대사로 활동하고 있는 이이남 작가를 비롯해 강운, 박상화, 손봉채, 신도원, 이정록, 정운학 등 광주를 넘어 대한민국을 대표하는 작가 14명이다.

10월7일 열리는 개막식에 광주시에서는 오형국 행정부시장이 참석해 개막 인사와 만찬을 주재하고, 이리나 보코바 유네스코 사무총장과 기쇼라오 세계유산센터소장을 비롯, 유네스코 고위급 인사들과 각국의 유네스코 대사 등 300여 명이 참석해 작품을 관람할 예정이다. 세계적인 재즈 보컬리스트 나윤선씨도 홍보대사 자격으로 축하공연 무대에 오른다. 윤장현 광주시장은 “광주를 대표하는 작가의 미디어아트 작품이 세계 195개 나라가 가입한 문화외교 무대인 유네스코에서 소개된다는 점에서 의미가 크다.”라며 “세계 무대에서 광주 미디어아트의 입지를 다지는 계기가 되기를 바란다.”라고 말했다. 전시 작품은 유네스코본부 전시회를 마친 후 프랑스 주재 한국문화원에서 10월 15일부터 29일까지 2주간 전시돼 한국문화원을 찾는 방문객들에게 광주 미디어아트 작품의 독창성과 우수성을 홍보하게 된다. 특히, 이번 전시는 광주시가 지난 3월 미디어아트 분야로 ‘유네스코 창의도시 네트워크’ 가입 신청서를 제출하고 오는 11월 최종 결정 여부를 기다리고 있어 더욱 의미 있다.

The Korean Cultural Centre UK presents the 3rd annual exhibition of contemporary art by UK based Korean Artists.

"Future's Future's Future" brings together the exciting and inspiring work of eight Korean artists, each living and working in the UK:

Jinkyun AHN, Jung Pyo HONG, Jung-Ouk HONG, Minae KIM, Jin Han LEE, Luna Jungeun LEE, Jung Wook MOK, Hyung Jin PARK

The exhibition was curated by Stephanie Seungmin Kim and Jeremy Ackerman.

<Media Landscape, Zone East>, as one participating project of ‘City States’, represents a group of internationally working Asian artists from Seoul, Tokyo, Beijing, Taipei, Singapore to New York, Bremen andLondon. The Korean Cultural Centre UK (London) and Alternative Space LOOP (Seoul) representing the Republic of Korea, have invited ten internationally working Korean artists and have nominated ten other artists to join the project.

17th September 2010, Korean Ambassador CHOO, Hazel Williams(Lord Mayor Liverpool), Paula Ridley (Chair, Liverpool Biennial), Lewis Biggs (Artistic Director, Liverpool Biennial), Paul Domela (Programme Director, Liverpool Biennial) attends the official opening of at the CUC (contemporary Urban Centre) in Liverpool and many people expressed their keen interest about Korean media art works. 

The exhibition is curated by Stephanie Seungmin KIM (KCC UK) and Jinsuk SUH (ASL). Other participating curators (nominators) are Eugene TANG and Leng LIN.

 Highlighting the aspects of Media Art, the same works can also be seen in a different format exhibition at the Korean Cultural Centre from 27thOctober to 20th November, 2010.

The contributing artists for the exhibition Media Landscape, Zone East are, in alphabetical order: CHUN Kyungwoo (Korea), FONG Silas (Hong Kong), HO Tzu Nyen (Singapore), HU Xiaoyuan (China), IZUMI Taro (Japan), JUNG Yumi (Korea), KIM Kira (Korea), KIM Young Eun (Korea), KOO Jeong A (Korea), KUSWIDANANTO Augustomis a.k.a JOMPET (Indonesia), MA Qiusha (China), MIOON (Korea), OH Min (Korea), PARK Junebum, (Korea), SAKAKIBARA Sumito(Japan), SHIN Kiwoun (Korea), TAGUCHI Yukihiro (Japan), WU Chi-Tsung (Taiwan), YI Hyunchul (Korea), ZHAO Yao(China).

Jeong Mun Hur, Heena Kim, Yun-Kyung Kim, Minho Kwon, Bommsoon Lee, Younjeong Lee, Soonnam Lim, Jun-Gu Noh, Jee Oh, Jihye Park, So Young Park, Changwoo Ryu, Gee Song, Hyemin Son

The British Council and the Korean Cultural Centre UK are pleased to announce “Entry Forms: UK Korean Artists”.

The exhibition attempts to capture a sense of the diversity of works produced by Korean artists living in the UK. It presents work by fourteen different artists selected by the British Council and the Korean Cultural Centre through an open call to artists. All have responded to their new environment in different forms; whether it is by scribing their experiences or performing to us on a screen, a common interpretation of place carries through the show. Each artist brings a unique and individual interpretation to what it means to live here today; and as a result helps those of us who live here to re-examine our own experiences.

The exhibition is curated by Stephanie Seungmin Kim and Emily Butler. A specially commissioned booklet designed by Language of Form will accompany the exhibition.

Vessels: Ceramists from Korea & UK curated by Stephanie Seungmin Kim

This exhibition <Vessels: Ceramicists from Korea & UK> presents unparalleled aesthetics and craftsmanship of the 21st century through the brilliant work of twelve artists. Representing both Korea and the UK, these artists have produced ceramic wonders that are not only breaking new ground but which also incorporate the uniquely congruent language of artistic ‘craft’, ‘design’, ‘tradition’ and ‘modernity’.

Bernard Leach (1887-1979), regarded as the father of British studio pottery, stressed that ceramists of the 21st century ought to learn the techniques of the Joseon Dynasty masters to truly proceed. Admiring the “naked and unaffected freedom” of Joseon Buncheong wares he added that “it is the desire for the wholeness which draws us to the Korean pots.” Renowned British art historian William Honey stated that “the best Korean wares are not only original; they were the most gracious and unaffected pottery ever made. They have every virtue that pottery can have.”

This event marks the first occasion for an overview of cross-generational inspirations, often aligning masterpieces of active artists alongside those of their masters, colleagues or fully established apprentices. Such a genealogical flow, that transcends stylistic or geographical boundaries more than any other art form, makes ceramic arts a truly exhilarating heritage. For example, three Korean participants who have nothing in common besides their nationality (and their interest) all studied at different leading ceramics art schools in Korea, Japan and the US and now jointly collaborate with UK artists in London to broaden their horizons. Such diverse backgrounds, apprenticeships, techniques and philosophies are melted into vessels that breathe out centuries of traditional yet contemporary grace. Similar initiatives vastly improved access for Western counterparts, such as ceramists in the UK, who until now encountered ancient Asian techniques mainly in museums. Both Korea and the UK boast proud ceramic legacies that are still evolving, an intriguing process showcased by this exhibition.

Sun Kim’s ‘Ewer’ fuses Western and Eastern shapes and textures. Kim perfected her skills under renowned English scholar and potter Edmund de Waal, integrating his poetic undertone into her vessels. But Kim, who with Chris Keenan shares the same influence from de Waal, graduated from the leading Alfred Ceramics College of New York University and thus shows a stronger attachment to form compared to Keenan. Yet, conversely, Keenan’s jade-toned and rhythmic composition echoes de Waal’s Orientalism.

Rupert Spira was an apprentice of Michael Cardew, a leading pioneer of modern British ceramics alongside Bernard Leach, who in return has taught and inspired Hyejeong Kim. The dramatically curved mouth of Spira’s bowl is further accentuated by a body that tapers downwards culminating in a sculptural image. The delicate inscription harks back to ancient earthenware that evokes religious traditions endowing it with a ceremonial aura. Kim, who after her doctorate at Tokyo University took residency under Spira, resonates his attention to bowls and subtle sheens, yet accentuates a more approachable style with astonishing handicraft that upholds practicality, often in café-latte-sized shapes.

The internationalism of the studios equally applies to academic spheres. Felicity Aylieff, another renowned potter and senior tutor at the Royal College of Art, has relentlessly studied Jindezhen celadon wares whilst teaching her MA students, who come from all over the world. Sena Gu, after graduating from Korea’s leading art institution HongIk University, also studied under Aylieff at the RCA, and exhibits her design-oriented yet animating vases.

All of the abovementioned six artists are UK-based and actively participate in international art and design exhibitions. Korea and the UK both possess rich historical assets and a highly talented pool of ceramists that provides a vital foundation for further globalization, academic research and public promotions.

A Joseun white porcelain once purchased by Bernard Leach is permanently exhibited at the British Museum. But how are modern Korean ceramists currently faring in the global centre stage of ceramics art? Korea’s proud history of ceramic art entered the Dark Ages in the early 20th Century, for fifty years dimmed by Japanese colonization and the Korean War. Efforts to revive the tradition sprung up in the 1960s but faced an uphill battle against a flood of design-oriented industrialisation and mass production. The second part of the exhibition is centered on 1) traditionally crafted and designed vessels that borrowed foreign inspirations (Korean and Western motifs), and 2) reinvented ceramic concepts skillfully articulated through contemporary designs.

Seung-Bum Lee, Jeongyong Han and Chun-Soo Lee base the core of their contemporary artworks on Korea’s most magnificent ceramic legacies: the Goryeo blue-celadon, the Joseon white-porcelain and Buncheong. Lee converts blue celadon, once only commissioned as fine art for the King’s court, into practical table wares. Ceramic craft - often underrated for its apparent practicality – thus transcends the division with the ‘aimless aim’ of fine art. Han imported the unparalleled pureness of Joseon white porcelain into his cubic vessels. The Buncheong techniques applied in the faceting process artfully contradict the wheel utilized for the interior. Lee’s artworks strike one with their rough, earthy texture and the liberating sense of free-flowing Buncheong, highlighted by the mixture of stoneware and porcelain.

Heesook Ko also displays the elegant features of Korean white porcelain but maximizes its streamlined flow by adhering to geometric principles. The precise facets evoke industrial designs for mass production but actually champion the fine art aesthetics of the late 19th Century’s Arts & Craft Movement. Sol Yoon and Yong-Phill Lee represent contrasting perspectives: Yoon expresses images inspired by nature while Lee makes cubist statements by destroying and reconstructing his vessels.

Most ceramic wares illustrate the typical dichotomist partition of fine art and craftsmanship, the crossing point between the artistic mind and the consideration of practicality.  Consequently, ceramic art from a contemporary perspective is often unfairly discounted in light of its perceived functionality. But ceramics is an art genre that flourished for thousands of years, a pre-historical legacy that uniquely takes in the four elements of the universe: earth, fire, water and wind. Ceramic art – the epitome of refinement - has the mysterious strength to surpass dynasties and cultural boundaries while attracting awe for its marvelous splendor and craftsmanship alike.  

Contemporary Korean Art: From the National Museum of Contemporary Art Korea
curated by Stephanie Seungmin Kim

Participating Artists:

An, Jung-ju/An, Se-kweon/Cha, Kyu-sun/Ha, Kwang-suk/Han, Ki-joo/Joo, Myung-duck/Jung, Boc-su/Kang, Ai-ran/Kim, Chang-young/Kim, Hae-min/Kim, Jin-ah/Kim, Jung-heun/Kim, Sang-gil/Kim, Sang-woo/Koh, Myung-keun/Koh, San-keum/ Koo, Sung-soo/Kwak, Duck-Jun/Lee, Hye-rim/Lee, In-hee/Lee, Jeong-lok/Lee, Ji-hyun/Lee, So-young/Lim, Sun-hee/Park, Chan-yong/Park, Heung-soon/Park, Hyung-jin/Park, Seo-bo/Park, So-young/Park, Young-gyun/Shin, Jin-sik /Shin, Moon-yong/Sohn, Jin-ah/Yoo, Seung-ho/Youn, Myeung-ro

<Contemporary Korean Art> marks the Korean Cultural Centre UK’s second exhibition since it’s opening in January 2008. As a platform for the promotion and development of the Republic of Korea’s unique visual and popular culture, and in keeping with the escalating international interest in Korean art, the exhibition aims to highlight the key movements, thematic concerns and stylistic explorations of Korea’s dynamic contemporary art scene.

The exhibition not only serves as an introduction to some of Korea’s most innovative and challenging artists through this diverse selection of 35 works from Korea’s National Museum of Contemporary Art, but also seeks to create a dialogue of cultural exchange, encouraging the viewers to question and interact with the works just as the works evolve and develop through these new and diverse perspectives.

The selection of works plays on the seemingly oppositional dynamic of Korea’s rich cultural heritage and its contemporary vibrancy, emphasising the intersections as well as tensions that shape these discourses. The exhibition is divided into three sections and shed light on the complex narratives that inform the visual tendencies of Korean art today. The first section is a collection of works whose visual or conceptual nature stems from the traditional influence of Eastern philosophy; the second section introduces works that fuse Western symbolism or visual forms with that a Korean aesthetic sensibility; and the last section provides a unique perspective of contemporary political and social issues, coloured by global and local events in today’s increasingly globalised world.

The first section, ‘Embedded in Eastern Philosophy’, outlines the traditional artistic influences that underlie much of Korea’s contemporary art. Through an emphasis on philosophical reflection and a meditation on process, form and graphic execution, artists like Seo-bo PARK draw on the almost ritual procedures of art-making to allude to a sense of unity and wholeness, a fusion of idea and material. His intricate print ‘Myobop’ (Ecriture) dramatises these notions and invites the viewer to become engrossed in the rhythmic and dense patterning of artistic action. Traditional technologies and an attention to craftsmanship are also seen in Kyu-sun CHA’s work ‘Landscape’, derived from traditional Buncheong ceramic techniques.

The question of cultural hybridity is addressed in the section ‘Western Symbolism Fused with Local Ideas’. The use of new artistic media such as video, installation and performance together with images and stylistic tendencies of Western artistic visual forms, are integrated with Korean cultural concerns. Kwang-suk HA’s work ‘Pond’ references the Christian symbolism of fish, projected onto the floor of the exhibition space itself, while simultaneously alluding to Eastern painterly tradition and one of its most common motifs in artistic representation. The changing landscape of the modern Korean metropolis is the subject of Sun-hee LIM(b.1975)’s work ‘Wonder-I’, suggestive of the persuasiveness of mass media and advertising and the unstoppable processes of technology and modernisation. Hye-rim LEE’s femme-bot ‘Lash’ draws on stereotypical notions of Asian beauty and deals with the mechanical proliferation of these images in mass culture.

The last section, ‘Inspired by the Ideology and Politics of Korea Today’, addresses the weighty subject matter of Korea’s history and its place in the world today. With works that deal with topics ranging from the Imperialistic Japanese occupation, the division of North and South Korea and the dictatorship of military governments, this section give voice to the commonality of people seeking historical truth. The artists use allegory and irony towards questioning globalisation, capitalism and geo-political realities. Duk-Jun KWAK super-imposes his own face onto images of American presidential candidates, whereas

Jung-ju AN’s intriguing video of Pakistani paramilitary troopers with their Indian counterparts de-localises the North and South Korean divide, drawing attention the pervasiveness of these discords in many parts of the world.

The exhibition thus paints a portrait of contemporary Korean life, with its numerous complexities, subtleties and the processes of personal identity and cultural questioning that are necessary to change and progress. The dynamism and diversity of these works attests to the ways in which artists explore their position between tradition and modernity in a fast developing society and an ever changing world.

The Exhibition will launch with a reception on the evening of 26 March 2008, with the preview of a 7 weeks-long exhibition

A MODERN KOREAN CERAMICS exhibition entitled TRADITIONAL YET CONTEMPORARYis curated by Stephanie Seungmin Kim (김승민 큐레이터)., from Monday May 29th to Saturday 3rd June 2006.

This exhibition is a part of The 4th London Korean Festival 2006, which is being celebrated to mark 120 years of diplomatic relations between Korea and U.K. It is the first time that an exhibition of Korean ceramics focused on a specific modern period is being exhibited in London, furthermore exemplifying an interchange in ceramics, a vibrant art scene in which both countries have shared their passion.

For this exhibition, a collection by most established artists was chosen by the Joseon Royal Kiln Museum, which is located in the city of Gwangju, Korea, the home of the royal kilns that were established by the Joseon dynasty and operated for 400 years. The exhibition showcases 36 diverse artworks by 12 of Korea’s most important ceramic artists, revealing the latest innovations of the country’s rich ceramic tradition of 5,000 years.

The special exhibition of Korean ceramics accompanied with documentaries, photo illustrations, and detailed commentaries, will enrich Britain’s ceramic art scene with an exciting fresh theme. The exhibition also feature works by Bernard Leach, Dame Lucie Rie, William Marshall and other Contemporary British Artists including Gareth Mason, Ashley Howard, Edmund de Waal, Hyejeong Kim and Emmanuel Cooper.

Celadon: Bang Chul-Ju, Yoo Kwang-Yul, Park Byoung-Ho

White Porcelain:Lee Young-Ho, Chung Youn-Taeg, Park Young-Sook

Buncheong: Huh Sang-Wook, Kim Sang-Man, Lee Jung-Do

Earthenware & Stoneware: Lee In-Jin, Roe Kyung-Jo, Jung Jae-Hyo

Contemporary British Artists: Gareth Mason, Ashley Howard, Edmund de Waal, Hyejeong Kim, and Emmanuel Cooper

with special collection of Bernard Leach, Dam Lucie Rie and William Marshall

Sponsors: World Ceramics Exposition Foundation, Samsung Electronics, Ministry of Culture & Tourism Korea, Ceramic Review, Metropolitan Police, and Bonham’s. official programmes for THINK KOREA 2006.

Event I at the Air Gallery ( 29 May – 3 June 2006)

30 May 2006, 7.00- 9.30 pm– VIP/PRESS reception, Private Views @ The Air Gallery

29 May – 3 June 2006, 10.00am – 7.00pm 1PM: gallery talks by Dr. Pak, Lecturer at SOAS

Event II at the Victoria & Albert Museum, The 1st Korean Day (27 May 2006)

Dynamic performances from three contemporary Korean teams in Garden, Lecture Theatre and Raphael Room,Gallery Talks at the Gallery of Korean art

Event III at Bonham’s, the 1st Auction of Korean Modern Ceramics

(Viewings 3 November – 7 November 2006, Auction on 7 November 2006)

These works will be auctioned in Bonham’s auction house in November during the Asian Art in London. Come back to Bonham’s to see them in the context of representational works of world ceramics.

Advisors

Prof. Emanuel Cooper, Director of Ceramic Review, Royal College of Art

Prof. Nigel Wood, Westminster University of Westminster Honorary Research Associate, University of Oxford

Ben Williams, Bonham’s, Head of Contemporary Ceramics

Choi Gun, Director of Joseon Royal Kiln Museum, World Ceramics Exposition Foundation, World Biennale Team

Betty McKillop, Head of Asian Collection, Victoria & Albert Museum

Martha Donaghey, Director, Contemporary Ceramics

Curator

Stephanie Seungmin Kim, Art Director, CNE-CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT LTD (ISKAI)

Notes to Editors:

‘Congratulations! Hope this exhibition is definitely a success!’

– Mr. Choi, the Director, Korean Council of U.K.

‘I hope you could exhibit with us soon.’– The President, Asia House, Sir. Wahifield

‘Exhibition was really fantastic! Everyone was really impressed! These works will find buyers very soon.’ – Arts dealer David Baker

‘Beautifully presented! Exquisite works! This exhibition has to be reviewed! ’

– Professor of Ceramics, University of Westminster, Edmund de waal

‘These Korean works were never seen in London before. We are very excited to try the whole range of beautiful Korean works that will be appreciated by many scholars and collectors.’

– Ben Williams, head of Contemporary Ceramics, Bonham’s.

Other guests included Jenny White (Head of Arts, British Council), Alison Britton (Royal College of Art), and others from Arts Council, Victoria & Albert Museum, and British Museum. Many interests arose to buy works but all the works will be sold at Bonham’s Contemporary Ceramics auction on 7 November 2006.

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Venue: Air Gallery, 32 Dover Street, London W1S 4NE

V&A Museu

Bonhams