The Korean artist Ji-Yun – whose works painted during her solo exhibition "Aria" are presented by Magna Gallery Paris in January and February 2025 – also develops a ceramic practice closely linked to her painting. We had fascinating discussions with Ji-Yun about the relationships between contemporary and ancient art, either in her studio or during visits to museum collections together. In these notes, we transcribe her own words, her vision, and her reflections on the relationship between contemporary and ancient art, as well as the importance of ceramic art in her practice.
"My parents were great tea drinkers and collected teapots and other ceramic pieces, such as the teapots of Beaksan 칼산 (Kim Jeong-Ok 김정옥) or Bochun 보천 (Lee Oui-Jun 이위준). In the courtyard of our house, there were also about forty Jangdoks (장독), traditional jars used to store the meals of the patients in the hospital my father ran, arranged by size. Since my childhood, I have been close to tea culture (the tea ceremony 다렛), and therefore to earthenware and ceramics. I love their tactile nature. I touch them with my own skin, I feel them, and I taste them. Thus, I have a keen interest in objects from the long tradition of Korean ceramics.
For example, I love this fascinating object: an oil bottle in celadon from the Goryeo Kingdom (918–1392 CE), preserved in the Cernuschi Museum in Paris. Specifically, it is a stoneware piece with an engobe decoration under a celadon glaze. Ceramics have a specific yet poetic vocabulary. It is impossible to describe our Korean cultural heritage without mentioning ceramics, whose history is long and rich, particularly the work of celadon.
I do not create works in celadon myself, but I love these pieces because our Goryeo ancestors did not merely imitate Chinese celadons; they succeeded in detaching from this influence and establishing their own ways of working in this style, around the 13th century. They created jade-colored celadons with inlays called sangam (상감기법), which no artisan from another country has been able to replicate. Furthermore, the Goryeo dynasty at that time embraced Buddhist and Taoist ideals, rejecting artificiality and living in harmony with nature as an ideal, so that natural materials were harmonized with the lines of the ceramics, sometimes producing mysterious results. It is difficult not to be impressed by the inner beauty, unique splendor, and simplicity of these pieces.
"These works so perfectly unite craftsmanship and spirit that it is difficult not to admire them, and they continue to inspire 21st-century artists."
Another emblematic type of Korean ceramics is the moon jar (Dal Hangari 달항아리). The evolution of white porcelain is also fascinating for understanding the cultural and religious context of the time. After the rapid economic growth following Korea's industrialization, the moon jar seems to be a silent observer of our current state, as we try to find the essence of our people. These works so perfectly unite craftsmanship and spirit that it is difficult not to admire them, and they continue to inspire 21st-century artists.
Objects from other countries and Asian cultural spaces are also sources of wonder and inspiration. China and Japan, of course, are aesthetic references with their own unique genius. Among my favorites, I would like to mention the Chinese vases known as jue (醉) (1), in bronze, dating from the Song dynasty. This was also a time when Chinese white porcelain reached a high level of excellence. There are also bronze incense burners in the shape of a rabbit (2), which the Cernuschi Museum displays among the very beautiful Meiji-era objects.
Japanese Meiji-era incense burner – Song-era jue vase, Cernuschi Museum collections (illustrations under CC0 license provided by Paris Musées) - complete object records available at the bottom of the page.
Inspired by nature, these objects create their own stories. It is interesting to see how natural objects are symbolized in the context of the era. Many forms of craftsmanship symbolizing happiness, wealth, and immortality, in harmony with nature, also appear in Korean folk tales. The idea of approaching the things we desire by transforming them into images or three-dimensional objects is very close to my current creative process.
Although my works are conceived from my personal history, I develop an artistic language as I work. I often find the answer to a puzzle I was trying to solve by appreciating and studying ancient art. That is why the relationship with ancient art objects is very precious to me. Regular visits to museum collections allow me to stay in touch with an inexhaustible source of inspiration. I love the crossing of cultures, the meeting of different colors, and the unexpected results that come from it. This brings me great emotion."
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