Exhibit pays tribute to Korean ceramics

ALLENDALE, Mich. -- The Grand Valley State University Art Gallery begins a new season with an exhibit that pays tribute to both traditional and modern techniques in ceramics.

Artists have been creating ceramics in Korea since about 6000 BC. “Function or Submarine: New Work by Hoon Lee,” includes ceramic art based on celadon from the Koryo Dynasty (918-1392) and buncheong from the Choseon Dynasty (1392-1910), as well as modern techniques.

The exhibit will have a soft opening on August 22 and be on display through September 26. A reception with the artist will be held on Thursday, September 4, from 5-7 p.m., in the GVSU Art Gallery, Performing Arts Center, on the Allendale Campus. Admission to the reception and exhibit is free.

Lee has been coordinator of the ceramics program since coming to Grand Valley’s Department of Art & Design in 2004. The Korean-born artist works primarily at performance-based installations, though his vast interest and experience in ceramics play a role in many of his projects.

Of the many pieces created for the exhibit, one non-ceramic piece rises above the others. Hanging from the ceiling of the exhibit is a 12-foot submarine skeleton Lee fashioned from thin strips of bamboo, in part as a tribute to the bamboo tools used in ceramics.

“A submarine is a special type of container whose shape resembles the traditional bottles of early Korean ceramics,” said Lee. “I thought it would also be a fun way to make reference to the many pieces of ceramics on the sea floor from sunken ships that imported Korean ceramics to Japan centuries ago.”

Lee earned his MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in New York, and a master’s degree in ceramic art and industrial design from Seoul National University of Technology, in Korea. He has exhibited in 17 solo shows or projects nationally and internationally, and he recently received the Martin Luther King, Jr.-Cesar Chavez-Rosa Parks Grant.

Through Lee’s connections, two visiting ceramic artists from Korea will be featured at Grand Valley’s Fall Arts Celebration. Their exhibit, “Separation as Together: Soonjung Hong and Eunmee Lee” opens with a reception on Tuesday, October 7 and will follow their six-week artists-in-residence at Grand Valley.

For more information on both exhibits, contact the GVSU Art Gallery at (616) 331-2564, or visit www.gvsu.edu/artgallery . Hoon Lee may be reached through Grand Valley’s Department of Art & Design, at (616) 331-3486.