Joon Yong Kim’s work exposes the traces of his making, reminding us of ancient Korean granite carvings that are rough, simple, and innocent. He starts with thick, molten hot glass that remains refined on the inside of the vessel and finishes with rough, hand carved marks that cover the outer surface. Keunae Song’s work also is about surface. Her sensitivity and sophisticated understanding of the material captures the reflections of soap bubbles.  Like a delicate soap bubble, her work embodies the material’s fragility.  Jin Won Han also uses the idea of fragility in her work as a metaphor for human emotion.  By breaking and re-assembling a single glass bottle, she expresses the emotions of hurting and healing in our lives. Hyejeong Ko’s delicately manipulated metalwork evokes instinctive, autonomous, and unconscious behaviors towards notions of beauty and aesthetics. Her use of plant-related motifs sparks in us our innate awe of the natural world.

Hyunsung Cho’s blown and enamel painted glasswork deals with nostalgic memories from his youth and travel. In his work, he uses simplified forms found in our daily lives.  The drawn images on the surface reveal traces of his memories. Hoyeon Chung also uses everyday materials like wire, paint, rubber, glue, paper, linen, and wood in her work. Her metaphoric use of mixed materials and her abstract forms reference Korean shamanistic rituals and objects. Jun Suk Min’s mesmerizing marbled ring series leaves us with a sense of playfulness and meditation that is often over looked in our everyday lives, allowing the marbles to move around on the ring like Buddhist prayer beads or rosaries.

                       - Jiyong Lee, Curator

Opening Concurrently in the National Gallery: Tammie Rubin: Another World

Associated Events
Twilight Movie Night: Transversal Projects presents an evening of Korean made short films projected on the outside of the Craft Alliance Delmar building. Friday, April 19, starting at dusk.