A face from Japan by Korean artist Seunghee LEE of raw Shigaraki clay. One of four “Face” placards we have from this artist, reflecting the various traditions but similariti3es in form of the people working in pottery in China, Japan and Korea. This one was made in Shigaraki, Japan. About the rim Korean text is scrathed into the white slip, while the center is splashed with black and red, a striking combination. It is 40 x 38 x 4 cm (15 x 16 x 1-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition, directly from the artist. This piece was recently exhibited at the Shigaraki Togei-no-mori Ceramic Art Museum.
Seunghee LEE was born in 1958 in South Korea and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Craft from Cheongju University in 1986. Exploring the "possibilities of clay" through a contemporary lens, the artist reinterprets traditional ceramic techniques in innovative ways. In 2006, he launched the Clayzen series in Jingdezhen, China, which evolved over a decade into the Tao series—an expression of his philosophical inquiries rendered through a refined, two-dimensional format. The pandemic marked a turning point in his practice, leading to a spontaneous, drawing-like approach to working with clay. What began as a response to circumstance gradually expanded into a tri-regional practice, with production sites in Cheongju (Korea), Shigaraki (Japan), and Jingdezhen (China). Immersed in the unique qualities of the local clay and ceramic traditions of each region, the artist began to sense similarities in the everyday lives of people rooted in different cultures. This series has thus grown into a long-term project exploring those subtle connections. Through this awakening, the artist’s work continues to evolve organically, gaining depth in both form and meaning.
Public Collections:
Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul / Cheongju Museum of Art, South Korea / Art Bank a subsidiary of the National Museum of Contemporary Art, South Korea / SeMA Nam-Seoul Museum of Art, Soeul / SPACEMOM Museum of Art, South Korea / Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow, Poland / Kyoto Museum Richo, Japan / Horim Museum, Seoul / Clayarch Gimhae Museum, South Korea / The Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Japan
Contemporary, Art, Korea, Korean, artist, pottery, ceramic, Keramik, keramic
