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Press

Download PDF | Press Images | 한국어 보도자료

PRESS CONTACT:
Tim Hallman
(415) 581-3711 or pr@asianart.org

Poetry in Clay: Korean Buncheong Ceramics from Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art
Sept. 16, 2011–January 8, 2012

Asian Art Museum Presents Exhibition of Rare Korean Masterworks

SAN FRANCISCO, August 20, 2011 – This September, the Asian Art Museum will present a special exhibition of buncheong ceramics, a bold and startlingly modern-seeming Korean art form dating back to the early centuries of the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910). Poetry in Clay: Korean Buncheong Ceramics from Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, on view from September 16 through January 8, 2012, provides museum visitors a rare opportunity to view more than 60 masterworks—including several Korean treasures—on loan for the first time from the renowned collection of Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art in Seoul, Korea.

"The prestigious Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, holds one of the most important collections of Korean ceramics in the world," said Dr. Jay Xu, director of the Asian Art Museum. "We are honored that the Leeum chose our museum as one of only two venues—New York's Metropolitan Museum being the other—to host these superb artworks. This exhibition allows our museum to examine the interplay between works from our collection and those from the Leeum, as well as the interchange between past and present."

Traditional Buncheong Ceramics

The term buncheong, developed in the early twentieth century, means "white-slipped celadon." These ceramics are covered with white slip (a mixture of white clay and water), which is decorated with flowers and animals, geometric, linear and abstract designs. The aesthetics and functions of buncheong ceramics – whimsical, rustic, direct, fresh, audacious, contemporary – reflect the political and cultural transformations that followed the establishment of the Joseon dynasty. Though the wares were intended for daily use, their designs reflect the sophisticated tastes of the Joseon court and the scholarly elite, while at the same time conveying the wit and candor of the common people.

Buncheong ceramics are formed on a potter's wheel, and as the craft progressed, it embraced informality and experimentalism, both in form and decorative style; much of the ware on display in Poetry in Clay conveys a modernist sensibility.

Superb examples of Joseon era buncheong include Bottle decorated with peonies and dots, dating to early 15th century. Featuring an inlaid and stamped design, this bottle's decorative motif was incised into the clay body while it was still moist. It was then filled with white slip before firing, a technique common in the creation of buncheong ceramics.

The exhibition also includes works with painted designs. Buncheong with iron-painted design, dating to the late-15th to early-16th century, is an artwork categorized in Korea as Treasure no. 1387. Vibrant and powerful, the motif on this drum-shaped bottle explores the boundary between representation and abstraction. The floral element was drawn with iron pigment at the highest speed, creating an acute contrast of dark and light. The base layer of white slip allowed a greater freedom of design than was previously possible, resulting in a more diverse range of decoration and creative expression.

Revivals and Reinterpretations of Buncheong Ceramics

Poetry in Clay also presents a compelling reinterpretation of the Leeum collection in an international and present-day context, placing traditional buncheong objects side-by-side with Japanese and contemporary Korean works. Japanese ceramics from the Asian Art Museum's collection will demonstrate buncheong's influence on artists beyond Korea, while contemporary works in ceramics and other media demonstrate the vitality of impact of buncheong and other traditional ceramic art.

By the end of the sixteenth century, buncheong ceramics had fallen out of fashion in Korea, but their influence continued to be felt strongly in Japan. Following the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592–1598, Korean potters who had been taken to Japan established or expanded kilns, especially in Kyushu and Kyoto. Because of a demand for ceramics with white-slip decoration for use in the tea ceremony in Japan, many manufacturing centers produced this style of ceramic throughout the Edo period (1615–1868).

During the 1920s, the spirit and techniques of traditional buncheong stimulated the birth of a Japanese Craft Art movement (mingei) that influenced ceramic arts worldwide. Japanese ceramics from the Asian Art Museum's collection exemplify the evolving tradition of white-slip decoration in Japan, which continues today.

Korean society endured rapid, radical changes throughout the twentieth century. As Korean artists and theorists have grappled with the interplay of modernization and tradition, some have sought out expressions of what they consider genuine "Koreanness" in past works. Buncheong ceramics are seen as the expression of a native approach to art that was genuine, fresh, and vital.

Contemporary art on display adjacent to the Poetry in Clay exhibition will demonstrate the impact of the buncheong aesthetic on artists today. The decorations, textures, and techniques of this tradition are finding expression not just in ceramics but in the work of many mediums.

Korean artists revive and reinterpret aspects of traditional ceramics in a variety of ways: Yeesookyung and Shin Meekyoung approach ceramics and the history of ceramics from a conceptual point of view. Yee, recreating ceramic sculptures by putting together broken ceramic pieces, probes the relationship between the fragmentary and imperfect and the whole and pure. Shin Meekyoung addresses artistic transience and challenges established notions about ceramic materials—her "ceramics" are made of soap.

Koo Bohnchang's photography suggests new perspectives on Korean ceramics, especially white porcelains. Highlighting the refined beauty of these wares, Koo's photo paintings reveal the insides of ceramics to expose their inner characteristics. Ha In Sun, working with pencil on Korean mulberry paper, explores the hidden afterlife of broken ceramics.

Poetry in Clay brings to life treasures of this boldly sophisticated era, while highlighting buncheong's inspiration on art and artists of the twenty-first century.

Exhibition Related Programs

To enrich the visitor experience and provide additional context to Poetry in Clay, the Asian Art Museum is also offering a comprehensive range of related programs, including a symposium, artist demonstrations, and a FREE community day. Details below:

AsiaAlive Artist Demonstration: New Korean Art
Friday–Sunday, September 16–18
12:00 noon–4:00 pm
Free with museum admission

Watch two artists from Korea demonstrate new and old forms of Korean art. Shin Meekyoung uses ceramic forms and imagery as the inspiration for her soap sculptures, and ceramist Lee Kang Hyo follows an ancient pottery making technique using a simple kick-wheel and red and white clay. Museum visitors are invited to apply these techniques and make an artwork to take home.

Korea Foundation Korean Culture Day
FREE museum admission
Saturday, September 17
11 am-4:00 pm

Museum visitors are invited to celebrate the Korean festival of Chuseok. Each Autumn Equinox, Korean people celebrate the harvest by visiting their hometowns and sharing a feast of traditional food with family and friends. Join us at the museum for our own Chuseok festival, when we will offer docent tours, storytelling, food tasting, music and art. Korean musicians Kang Eun-il and Haegum Plus perform their "New Music" for the first time in the Bay Area. Watch artists Shin Meekyung and Lee Kang Hyo demonstrate new and traditional forms of art making and create your own artworks to take home. This program is generously supported by the Korea Foundation.

Meekyoung Shin in Conversation with Curator Linda Choy
Sunday, September 18
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Free with museum admission

Join contemporary Korean artist Meekyoung Shin in conversation with Linda Choy—an independent curator specializing in contemporary Korean art—for a discussion on Shin 's artistic process as well as her work's dialogue with Korean ceramics and European sculpture.

Lecture: East Asian Perspectives on the Visual Arts and Aesthetics of Korea
By Professor Kim Byung Jong
Sunday, September 18, 3:00 pm–4:00 pm 
Samsung Hall 
Free with museum admission

Kim Byung Jong, artist and author of books on Korean art and culture, compares the formative aesthetic of Korean Art with that of traditional East Asian Art, with a focus on their literary, philosophical, and religious contexts. One of the most prominent artists in Korea, Kim has created works that are included in the collections of renowned art museums, including the Seoul Museum of Contemporary Art and the British Museum. He has served as dean of the College of Fine Arts at Korea's Seoul National University and is the author of numerous books on the arts of Asia. Currently a professor at the College of Fine Arts, Seoul National University, Kim holds a doctoral degree in Oriental philosophy from Sungkyunkwan University. In Korean with English translation. This program is sponsored by the Korea Foundation.

A Symposium to Coincide with the Opening of Poetry in Clay: Buncheong Ceramics from Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art
Saturday, September 24
Samsung Hall
10:30 am–4:00 pm
$50 (includes lunch, but not museum admission). To register, call the Society for Asian Art at 415-581-3701.

Several respected scholars and curators will discuss themes central to the Poetry in Clay exhibition. Enjoy this special opportunity to learn more about buncheong and its context in Korean cultural history.

Confirmed Presenters include:

Kim Youngwon: Director of National Research Institute of Korea; formerly Chief Curator at the National Museum of Korea, emeritus. Dr. Kim will give the keynote address covering an overview of buncheong ceramics, the position of the style in the history of Korean art and the aesthetics of buncheong ware. She will highlight the impact buncheong trade wares had on Japanese ceramics and the rediscovery of buncheong in the 20th century and the current popularity of the style.

Dr. John Duncan, Professor of Pre-Modern Korean History, Director of the Center for Korean Studies, UCLA. Dr. Duncan will outline the establishment of the Joseon dynasty and how it changed the cultural picture in 14th- and 15th-century Korea.

Dr. Robert Mowry, Alan J. Dworsky Curator of Chinese Art and Head of the Department of Asian Art, Arthur M. Sackler Museum. Dr. Mowry will discuss the technical aspects of Buncheong ware and the influences from the celadon tradition.

Kyungja Hwang, an independent curator, M.A. from New York University and Ph.D. from Dongduk Women’s University, Seoul. Dr. Hwang will focus on major contemporary artists in Korea and discuss contemporary art that was inspired from traditional Korean ceramics.

Hyonjeong Kim Han, Curator of Korean Art, Asian Art Museum. Ms. Kim will moderate the day's events and give a summation of the proceedings.

Exhibition Organization and Support

This exhibition has been organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, and is co-presented at the Asian Art Museum with the Korea Foundation. Major support provided by the Korea Foundation and the Koret Foundation. Additional support provided by the Korean Art and Culture Committee (KACC), the Kahng Foundation, and an anonymous donor. The museum gratefully acknowledges Trustee Presenter Suno Kay Osterweis for her support and assistance in securing funding for the exhibition.

Asian Art Museum Korean Art Collection

The Asian Art Museum holds the most comprehensive collection of Korean art outside of Korea. The collection consists of approximately 800 objects including sculpture, ceramics, paintings, textiles and metalwork, and spanning more than 2500 years, from 500 BCE to the present day. The collection is especially noted for its Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) celadons and rare unglazed stonewares from the Three Kingdoms period (57 BCE to 668 CE) and Unified Silla period (668 to 935 CE). It also features a broad selection of paintings that range in style from courtly, scholarly, and Buddhist to folk. The Asian Art Museum was one of the first museums in the United States to have a gallery dedicated solely to Korean art. The Korean Department at the Asian Art Museum was established in 1989. Major support for the Korean galleries and recent Korean art acquisitions has been provided by the Koret Foundation.

About the Asian Art Museum

The Asian Art Museum is a public institution whose mission is to lead a diverse global audience in discovering the unique material, aesthetic, and intellectual achievements of Asian art and culture. Holding more than 17,000 Asian art treasures spanning 6,000 years of history, the museum is one of the largest museums in the Western world devoted exclusively to Asian art.