MMCA exhibition shows how Korea revitalized its ceramics culture for the modern era

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MMCA exhibition shows how Korea revitalized its ceramics culture for the modern era

Published: 26 Nov. 2024, 14:00

SHIN MIN-HEE
[email protected]

Installation view of the “Unfolding the Dynamics of Modern Ceramics in Korea″ exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s (MMCA) Gwacheon branch in Gyeonggi. Here shows ″Live 2″ by Oh Hyang-jong, inspired by onggi (traditional round brown earthenware pot) techniques. [SHIN MIN-HEE]

GWACHEON, Gyeonggi — The 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul was an event that transformed Korea from a poor, war-torn nation to one of rapid industrialization and a heightened international image.

But the event also influenced an unexpected field: ceramics.

″White Porcelain Ashtray with Bukdansanjang Painted in Underglaze Blue″ (1950s-'60s) by the Korean Art Society [MMCA]

It was during this era that artists started employing art styles from abroad and at the same time, Korean ceramics were introduced to the global audience.

The modernization of Korean ceramics is explored at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s (MMCA) Gwacheon branch in Gyeonggi in its latest exhibition, “Unfolding the Dynamics of Modern Ceramics in Korea.”

Ceramics play a vital role in defining Korean culture and history. Records propose that Koreans have made earthenware since 8000 B.C., during the Neolithic Period, with comb-pattern pottery as an example. During the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), celadon took center stage, while in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), porcelain, like the famed moon jars, was popularized.

″Tea Bowls″ (early 1970s) by Ji Soon-tak, part of the Lee Kun-hee Collection [MMCA]

″Blue-and-white Porcelain Flowerpot with Loquat Design and Poem″ (1975) by Ahn Dong-oh and Chang Woo-soung, part of the Lee Kun-hee Collection [MMCA]

So, what happened to Korean ceramics afterward? The MMCA exhibition showcases some 200 ceramics made by 73 artists, from the 1950s to the 21st century. These include 21 pieces from the Lee Kun-hee Collection, the late Samsung Group chairman’s donation of national heritage pieces and artworks to the country, which are being shown to the public for the first time.

The exhibition starts from the 1950s, when Korea was barely back on its feet after the dark period of Japanese colonial rule (1910-45) and the 1950-53 Korean War. Restorations or reinterpretations of traditional ceramics, particularly Goryeo celadon and Joseon porcelain pieces, were manufactured and exported. Researchers who studied abroad in the United States came back to Korea as the nation’s first ceramic professors, establishing related courses for students.

“The 1950s was a time of figuring out the course of direction for Korean ceramics amid social turmoil,” the exhibition’s curator Yoon So-rim said on Wednesday at the exhibition.

″California″ (1983) by Whang Hyun-sook [SHIN MIN-HEE]

″Winged Woman″ (1989) by Hahn Ai-kyu [MMCA]

The 1960s and 1970s saw the advent of modern ceramics with a surge in cheonghwa baekja (cobalt blue and white porcelain) made together by ceramists like Ahn Dong-oh and painters like Kim Ki-chang and Seo Se Ok. This was made in an attempt by the then-government to raise nationwide awareness of the art medium.

Ceramics furthermore branched out across the globe in the 1980s, with the government hosting large-scale international exhibitions and workshops — as well as university graduates of ceramics majors making academic efforts in related fields.

Korean ceramics and their artists truly began gaining the spotlight with the founding of the Cheongju Craft Biennale in 1999 and the Gyeonggi Ceramics Biennale in 2001. No longer were ceramics limited to vessel-shaped earthenware and being replicas of the past, but a shift toward “pluralization, hybridity and post-colonialization,” according to curator Yoon.

″Untitled″ (1987) by Bae Jin-hwan [SHIN MIN-HEE]

It’s also the reason that ceramics now emphasize artistry and craftsmanship as opposed to just practical usage. They can come in all shapes and sizes, from tiny human porcelain figurines to onggi reinvented as pillars, the latter being rooted in the techniques to make the traditional round brown earthenware pot.

Onggi, which are widely used as containers to store food and other items such as kimchi or fermented pastes, were conventional household items that, in fact, “came across as revolutionary to the international stage,” Yoon said.

“They relatively require less time to make and are easier to build bigger and taller in size,” she said. “Most are only aware of celadons or moon jars when it comes to Korean ceramics, but they’re much more than that.”

“Unfolding the Dynamics of Modern Ceramics in Korea” continues until May 6 next year. MMCA Gwacheon is open every day except Mondays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. General admission is 2,000 won ($1.40).

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [[email protected]]