“Korean Contemporary Design” Exhibition
Edward Tyler Nahem Fine Art, L.L.C.
This event has ended.
Kang Myung Sun combines the traditional craft techniques of her ancient heritage with modern practicality and innovation. This dialogue, formed between the traditions and materials of a 2,000-year Asian history and contemporary, 21st-century materials and approaches, manifests in the form of delicately curved organic furniture—benches, wall-cabinets, stools, tables, and chairs—that simultaneously challenge and embrace modern design. Through her use of traditional lacquering techniques, such as black urethane inlaid with mother of pearl, Kang emphasizes the natural, iridescent beauty of her pearls, which are juxtaposed by the archaic, declining technique of traditional wood lacquering methods.
Bae Sehwa’s work is derived from the Korean concept of baesanimsu, meaning the back of the mountain and front of the water and he draws heavily from the profound connection to nature in traditional Korean theories of divination. Bae Sehwa’s elegant and minimal work represents a vital continuity between digital possibilities and the harmony with natural materials that handmade work offers.
Bahk Jong Sun works with various wood for his work. He is a master of minimalistic furniture design. Bahk incorporates the subtleties of the natural elements of the wood to create a fusion of the natural and exquisite craftsmanship.
Lee Hun Chung thinks of his ceramics as “three-dimensional landscape painting,” imbued with the colors of his native Korea. The artist hand forms clay into chairs, tables, and decorative objects, which he fires in a hand-made kiln using a celadon glaze first developed in the 15th century. The results of the glazing process are unpredictable, a collaboration between artist and nature that creates a complex patina of painterly layers of glaze, as tactile as they are pleasing to the eye. With his expert touch, earthy materials like clay, cement, and wood become light, soft, and ethereal. Having worked in pottery, sculpture, installation, and furniture, Lee continually pushes the boundaries of his medium.
[Image: Kang Myung Sun “Coralliform Coffee Table” (2012) Mother-of-pearls inlaid on wood, glass 132 x 128 x 38 cm.]
Media
Schedule
from February 26, 2014 to April 04, 2014