MO-NO-HA | EXHIBITION

This exhibition observes the various phenomena that occur at the point where two disparate substances meet, blend and traverse.

The first dot appears where the horizontal and the vertical intersect.

Yin and yang, longitude and latitude, weft and warp.

As the contrasting substances intertwine and fuse, a dot emerges.

This miraculous combination, fusion of contradictions becomes the beginning of all created living things.

That one dot is eternal without boundaries.

We are always at that intersection.

In hoping that someone responds by instinct to the subtle vibrations occurring at that intersection…

My work begins with reminiscence. As countless memories and experiences overlap our life strengthens, and from reminiscing we realize that life was beautiful. I consider everything beautiful from the transparency and mystery of the glass itself to it’s shadow under light. Hot-melted glass is like an intangible state before the object takes shape.I roll hot glass on the end of the pipe and repeat the process of coating the surface with a layer of bubbles and then wrapping it with glass. This procedure allows the countless air bubbles to be trapped in the glass which eventually becomes a grain. Through the process of lacquering—applying layers of ottchil, then carving it—the once-hidden glass resurfaces with the grains, leading one to look back.

If you look closely, you can observe the colour of the glass shining amongst the grains of lacquer as well as the layers of the countless bubbles. I hope that the mysterious depth reflected through the layers will bring the shining memories back to you.

The foot of the Bogae mountain in Ungcheon, Jinhae of Gyungnam is a historic place where Buncheong and white porcelain were produced from the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty until the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592. The Japanese ruling class admired the tea bowl of Ungcheon—called ‘Goryeo Dawan’ in Japan. By the end of the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592 and 1597, 125 potters and their families were forced to relocate to Japan. As a result, the flames in the Ungcheon Kiln Site were extinguished and the tradition of the Ungcheon Tea Bowl ceased to carry on.

Here's to the crazy ones.

The misfits, The rebels, The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They're not fond of rules.
And they have no respect for the status quo.

You can quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify

About the only thing you can't do is ignore them.

Because they change things.
They push the human race forward.
And some may see them as the crazy ones,
We see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think

that they can change the world the ones who do.

In his work to date, Kim has focused on clothing as his chief medium, exploring its potential for expandability. Investigating possibilities of form that originate in the different perspectives assigned to clothing, he expands and reproduc- es the identities attached to these forms. In this process, he takes materials and forms from the virtual world and artistically recreates them within the analog realm, situating them at the intersection of different categories. In this way, his work has been an ongoing experiment with re-establishing categories of objects through methods of juxtaposition, parallel, and amalgamation.

Evenly - Side by Side

The works of Kim Hae-Ja, master of Nubi quilting, named as Important Intangible Cultural Property No.107, and Jung Hyun-ji, an artist based in Eindhoven, Netherland have much in similarity because of their evenly repetitive lines and their stitch works. The story of Kim Hae-ja in her pursuit to restore the Korean tradition of Nubi quilting method for the last 50 years and the works of artist Jung Hyun-ji, exploring and expressing the relation between two and three dimensions with textiles, both embody the devotion, endeavor and endurance put in for every single stitch. The two artists are exhibited side by side together in this special exhibition as proposition for the future of Korean craftwork and its modern usage, un opportunity for our inner journey.

An Moon-su's small people are a part of the work, he has been carving since 2015. Interestingly, all of his human sculptures start from different trees, and are mostly small in size. The people whom, he as been sketching and sculpting whenever he had time means not only just a rest and play but also fully the artist himself. While many artists mostly choose materials and expressions with specific intentions and seek the process of work, An Moon-su maintains the proper line of enjoying himself in his unintentional work and life, as he described it as "Escape". In addition, the non-intentional nature rather gives these little pieces a broader perspective and a margin of thought. It is recommended that you look closely at those, who seem familiar but are distorted. You can also take a look at them from further afar with the time and margin of your own.

Kwon Hyun-bin considers substances composed of particles, such as styrofoams or stones as a virtual space, and takes interest in the sculptural act that can be carried out in and outside such mass. 'The stone existed in the past and will exist in the future. I would stand in that middle of it and imagine the stone that has yet been sculpted. Whether it is large or small, flat or round, the stone will eventually be hammered, rubbed and chipped by nature or a person. The changes to the stones are left as traces enabling us to imagine the stone's future shape. Therefore, even if the stone is just standing still, it is oscillating as it creates great possibilities and its traces.

The heritage bequeathed by the unknown last descendants of Joseon potter are revealed to the world as they are taken out of storage. The potteries were made from the firewood kiln in Songchoo, Gyeonggi-do half a century ago. The white porcelain jars, plates, and big bowls from this kiln were produced by several skilled potters, using the traditional methods of collecting and washing the Yanggu white soil, and preparing the clay to mold it with a wooden wheel. In the ambiguous period of the late modern age between Joseon and contemporary eras, the main stream of poteries was making of celadon porcelains and buncheong ceramics as traditional handed down way, while the white porcelains were rarely made. Through this exhibition, we wish these modern white porcelains to be revaluated as the historical and artistic pieces.

"The tea ceremony is a normal, everyday hobby of making fire, boiling water, and tasting by brewing good tea. It is just washing teacups, carrying water, and drinking it when you feel thirsty. However, regardless of such ordinary daily work, there is no way right. Zen also does not leave the usual state of mind. For this reason, the tea and zen become one."

[Source: Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture]

In this exhibition, you can appreciate the shape and beauty of different tools used in the tea ceremony, and feel the philosophy and passion of the craftsmen contained in it. Through the teawares exhibited, it is possible to experience the similarity and differences between the three East Asian countries.

Participants: Dogok Jeong Jeom-Kyo, Yeomjang Cho Dae-Yong, Akito AkaKi(赤木明登), Higashiya