Lee Hun-chung highlights beauty of imperfections with his take on moon jars

Arts & Design

Published: 13 Jun. 2023, 13:54 Updated: 13 Jun. 2023, 15:39

Lee Hun-chung highlights beauty of imperfections with his take on moon jars

"Return" (2023) [SHIN MIN-HEE]

A moon jar is highly reminiscent of the Earth’s only natural satellite thanks to its smooth, round shape. The appeal of these white porcelain jars, dating back to the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), is contributed to their uneven natural appearance like the actual Moon, which is in fact shaped like an imperfect sphere.

Artist Lee Hun-chung, who began his career in ceramics, goes the extra step with his versions: He cracks, slants, breaks and even hangs his moon jars on the wall. Some even look like they are incomplete.

The irregularities in his works are all part of the 56-year-old’s artistic thoughts, which are based on accepting uncertainty and unpredictability that are beyond human control. Such contemplation is reflected in some 20 works on view at Storage by Hyundai Card, an exhibition space located in Itaewon, central Seoul, owned and managed by the credit card company.

It is Storage by Hyundai Card’s first time to hold a solo exhibition for a Korean artist.

Lee Hun-chung [STORAGE BY HYUNDAI CARD]

Lee tends to deviate from the conventional uses for such jars and instead sets them in new and unusual settings. The realm of his works has therefore expanded to include design, architecture, sculpture, film and even digital art, namely nonfungible tokens (NFTs) for this show.

He has exhibited his works at leading institutions, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2011, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris in 2015 and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s Gwacheon branch in Gyeonggi in 2021.

Public figures like actor Brad Pitt, architect Norman Foster and installation artist James Turrell are known to have previously bought his works.

When exploring Lee’s artistic world in the current “A Journey to Return Home” exhibition, the procedure in creating ceramic art should be understood foremost: repetition and meditation.

“Ceramics are characterized by a process that requires repetition of very simple labor,” Lee was quoted as saying in his notes. “Every now and then [...] I have to empty and forget everything in my head and all that I used to do.”

"Untitled" (2023) [STORAGE BY HYUNDAI CARD]

The shattered remnants of the moon jar that was frozen inside an ice cube as part of "Untitled" (2023) [SHIN MIN-HEE]

In this case, it may seem that the artist has complete control over the final results of the moon jar. But Lee intentionally brings out the flaws to acknowledge that in life, not everything turns out the way you want or intend it to, and that it should be ultimately accepted. This is why he actively utilizes imperfect ceramic jars, no matter how displeasing they may seem.

For his “Untitled” (2023) piece, comprised of an installation and a single-channel video, Lee portrays the entire journey of destroying moon jars in different ways. For the installation, he froze a moon jar into a large ice cube and displayed it. As the ice melted, the jar shattered into pieces, the fragments of which are still on display.

The video next to it shows an unbaked clay moon jar, disintegrating in water, for nine minutes.

Lee attempted to create NFTs that somewhat incorporate the labor required in his pottery, allowing visitors to repeatedly draw imperfect circles that will be programmed into moon jar NFTs. This project was made in collaboration with the NFT platform Konkrit.

"Home II" (2023) [STORAGE BY HYUNDAI CARD]

The theme of home is scattered throughout the exhibition, with a piece of dry ice and a chunk of each shaped like houses.

Lee considers “returning home” as an opportunity to reflect on what the fundamental nature of ceramics is despite his countless expeditions across genres, hence the exhibition title, “A Journey to Return Home.”

The show continues until Aug. 20. Storage by Hyundai Card is open between 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays to Saturdays, and until 6 p.m. on Sundays and on holidays. Tickets are 5,000 won ($3.80) for adults and a 20 percent discount is available when paying with a Hyundai card.