I've been trying to catch up to my Japan trip, but I took far too many photos in Korea.

The main goal for my trip to Hanhyanglim gallery was to get some insight on the possibility of importing some nice contemporary Korean pottery, and I was pleased to find that the gallery gift shop's buyer's taste runs a pretty close parallel to my own. I still have to work out a lot of details, but I'm hoping to bring the work of at least one of these production potters to YuzuMura.com later this year. Let me know if you have any favorites...

Donburi

Vase with carved illustration

Unlipped plates

Medium-sized low open form 

Tea cups, bowls, and a large serving plate

Mugs and deep plate

Nokcha mugs

These green tea mugs come with a tea infuser and lid. I really like this artist's work.

Oil-burning candles

I have a nokcha cup with an infuser in the same style from this artist, so I was happy to re-discover this artist.

Small plates

Candle stand

Teacups and pot with golden enameling

Rich textured plates

Hyper-contemporary beer cups

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Sunday I visited Hanhyanglim gallery in the Heyri art village just northwest of Seoul. Riding in the car of the gallery owner, we saw a very intimidating-looking spirals of barbed wire fence along the river, across which lies North Korea.

The gallery owner, Jay, is a pottery collector who has made some money in the semiconductor industry, and continues to make that his day job while his wife Hyanglim, a ceramist, runs the day-to-day operations of their gallery and gift shop. I learned about the place thanks to an introduction from a member of a clay art email discussion group, and the owner was kind enough to take pick me up from a nearby train station.

Though I was mainly here for Korean pottery, the museum also featured the work of 90-year-old Sylvia Hyman, new to me but renowned for her visual deceptions.

Through Time and Space

This comes from a spiritual Arabic text, which actually apparently is something about time and space. My Arabic is a little rusty, though, so I just enjoyed the nifty curls.

Narragansett Bay

This piece has convincing leather straps, canvas, wood, paper, and rope, all crafted from clay.

Currogated clay

Currogated cardboard rendered with clay is even more surprising...

More to come... With actual Korean pottery too...

 Part 1, Part 2, Part 3