Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.
Lee Hun-chung takes ceramic furniture beyond practicality
Installation view of Lee Hun-chung's exhibition "Born Without Making" at Park Ryu Sook Gallery in Seoul / Courtesy of Park Ryu Sook Gallery
By Kwon Mee-yoo
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Artist Lee Hun-chung is difficult to define with one word. He is a ceramist, sculptor and architect whose work ranges from ceramic art furniture to large-scale installations on the faraway Portuguese archipelago of the Azores.
In his new exhibition "Born Without Making" at Park Ryu Sook Gallery on Mt. Nam, Lee explores the themes of solitude and relationships in his ceramic sculptures created around the theme “island.”
On the wall is the text of poet Chong Hyon-jong's poem "Island." It reads, "There is an island between people. I want to visit that island."
Lee's ceramic stools, benches and tables are scattered around the gallery space, like islands floating on the sea.
"These ceramic objects have functions as chairs or tables. But I think of them as bridges," Lee told The Korea Times. "I liked how Chong's poem saw islands as connected, not isolated, so I put up his poem for this exhibition."
Glazed ceramic "Stool" by Lee Hun-chung / Courtesy of Park Ryu Sook Gallery
Lee earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in ceramic sculpture at Hongik University in Seoul, and he obtained his second master's degree in sculpture from the San Francisco Art Institute. A few years later, he got his doctorate in architecture from Kyungwon University.
Lee cites his personality to explain his multidisciplinary style and his choice to pursue four degrees in three different fields.
"I am a person of curiosity and not good at sticking to one thing. For me, it's traveling from ceramics to sculpture and then toward architecture," he said. "Ceramic craft is a direct, abstract communication between the material and me. For sculpture, it is more rational as a sculpture needs to have a message. Architecture is more about the system as there are many parties involved and one man cannot just build a structure.”
He added, “For me a journey is to return. So I always come back to ceramics."
While he may wear many hats, Lee's roots are in ceramics. His ceramic pieces are what put him on the art map. Lee's ceramic furniture is popular in international art fairs and his works have been collected by Brad Pitt, rapper Sean Combs and architect Norman Foster. Lee is the artist who created the ceramic tile version of "Banchado of King Jeongjo" next to Cheonggye Stream.
"I come from the base of ceramics, which is a type of craft. Craft is art without content. However, fine art requires form and content together," he said. "Each stool is a craft with function, but I tried to add another value by displaying them together under the theme of island."
Lee is an artist who embraces flaws and mistakes in ceramic making. Some of the stools on display also have visible cracks, but Lee included them in the exhibit, acknowledging their artistic value.
"What happens in the kiln is out of my control. I stoke up the fire, but I can't do anything about what is going on in the kiln. Ceramic work makes you modest. You have to accept cracks and collapse," he said. "Sometimes, people love your unintended creations. Once, I deliberately increased the heat in the kiln while firing moon jars and showcased the collapsed moon jars."
Lee Hun-chung's “Eastman” on Sao Miguel Island in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. / Courtesy of the artist
'Eastman' on Sao Miguel Island
The inception of Lee's interest in islands dates back a few years.
"I am 53 now and when I turned 50, I thought that I was settling for what I have and achieved. I was afraid of living a complacent life with small achievements, so I looked up new opportunities," he said.
After visiting Spain and Portugal, the artist applied for an artist residency program in Lisbon, Portugal and the two months in the Portuguese capital made him meet with Portuguese artists and curators. It led him to another opportunity from Pico do Refugio on Sao Miguel Island in the Azores archipelago.
His creation titled "Eastman," a chair-shaped outdoor installation combining five different types of soil from the volcanic island, each with distinct colors, in the shape of a chair. The clay sculpture was created by pressing the soil into a mold made of lumber which has been used on the island since the 15th century.
"I tried to encompass the history of the island and the people who lived on this island. I installed the sculpture looking eastward as a symbol of bridging the West and the East. It also is a reminder that humans are not alone, but connected," he said.
Lee hopes to expand this sculptural project to other Azores islands.
"The Portugal project is also named 'There is an Island.' I plan to install nine sculptures on each of the Azores islands and the 10th and final one on a fictional island," Lee explained. "I originally arranged a meeting with governor of the archipelago to get permits for the remaining eight installations, but I had to postpone due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I will visit the Azores to continue the project as soon as I can."
The Seoul exhibit runs through Dec. 30.
Artist Lee Hun-chung
Kwon Mee-yoo