Curatorial Statement
Exhibition Posted Online: Monday, October 9, 2023 by 10 am MT
Minsoo Yuh was born and raised in Seoul, Korea and earned a B.F.A and M.F.A in Ceramics from Hongik University. She did a 2-year apprenticeship with Injin Lee while attending graduate school. After receiving her M.F.A, she moved to the United States and has been working with clay since as a full time studio potter in Athens, GA. She makes but is not limited to high-fired utilitarian pottery and her work is a reflection of emotions and perceptions of the meanings of life and human nature through the natural characteristics of clay and aspects of nature.
As an artist, I am fascinated by the spontaneous lines, forms, and spaces I find in nature; and objects, depth, and character within them that show the passage of time. I am also inspired and influenced by Korean traditional ceramics, which embrace the beauty of simplicity, vitality, profoundness, and imperfection. This intrinsic beauty, which requires time, dedication to mastering techniques, and understanding the materials and spontaneity of the process of creation, is what I value and strive for in my work.
In terms of state of mind and physical creativity, spontaneity and vitality empowered by balance and harmony is one of the important elements of my work process as well as my life. I am often attempting to find a balance between contrasting attributes- strong/relaxed, soft/sharp, mass/lines, calm/vigorous, bold/subtle, full/empty, colorful/neutral, straight/curve, restrained/free, intentional/unconscious, pause/proceed, tense/relaxing, still/dynamic. My work is a reflection of my self-examination and growth through contemplations on humanity, nature, life, and myself.
-Minsoo Yuh
Sunkoo Yuh was born in South Korea, immigrated to the U.S. in 1988 and now resides in Athens, GA, where he is a professor of art at the University of Georgia. He received his BFA degree from Hong Ik University, Seoul, Korea and his MFA degree from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred, NY.
Yuh’s ceramic sculpture compose of tight groupings of various forms including plants, animals, fish, and human figures. While Korean art and Buddhist, Christian and Confucian beliefs inform some aspects of his imagery, his work is largely driven by implied narratives that often suggest socio-political critiques. Yuh’s current focus on type of architectural-scale sculpture and on pushing his medium to its limits of size.
He has exhibited widely and has received many awards and honors. He was the recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation grant, the Grand Prize at the 2nd World Ceramic Biennale International Competition, Icheon, Korea, The Elizabeth R. Raphael Founder’s Prize and the Virginia A. Groot Foundation. His work is in the collections of The Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., The Museum of Fine Arts, The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia, Houston, Houston, TX, Icheon World Ceramic Center, Icheon, Korea, the International Museum of Ceramic Art, Alfred, NY, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA, the Oakland Museum of Art, California and more.
I often make my works from intuitively and spontaneously drawn images. These two-dimensional images contain conscious and unconscious concerns in my life. It also reflects my relationships and memories with people around me and life experiences. I closely study my drawings and select a few to transform into three-dimensional clay sculptures or pottery forms. As a result, the body of my work as an artist is to transform the images from my mind into tangible sculptures and pots.
-Sunkoo Yuh