Korean Ceramic Artist, Lee Yun Hee: Porcelain Imaginings

Summer is here, online school is coming to an end, and with much of New York still shut down, including the museums and art galleries, I have a new appreciation for online viewing of art! I have always been fascinated by ceramics, and the artist in my last post, Danish artist Rose Eken, peaked my interest in ceramics again. What I found in my search online was this amazing Korean artist, Lee Yun Hee.

Amor, Lee Yun Hee

Born in South Korea in 1986, Lee majored in Ceramics at Seoul’s Hong Ik University. Lee calls herself a collector.  And what she collects are the stories of everyday people--stories about their desires, their fears, their dreams and how the plan to triumph over the challenges of life.

Lee says: 

“The narrative embedded in my work is based on desire, anxiety, and healing. Although it is manipulated, it is a variation on fundamental myths and stories of growth. Desire and anxiety are the essential elements required for human beings in general; karma is the essence of life. Life is ultimately a process of reaching nirvana from karma, of supplementing life with death, and of returning from presence to absence.”

La Divina commedia #3, Lee Yun Hee

Allegory 1, Lee Yun Hee

What I love about Lee’s work is how her porcelain pieces tell a story, studying them feels like being drawn into mythical worlds that encompass equal parts beauty, fear, death, and the transcendent power of the imagination. 

Lee reminds me once again why I love art.

Morial & Noon, Lee Yun Hee

“There was once a girl that received an oracle, telling her future. The knowledge, the predestined desire and insecurity left her troubled. In search of happiness and peace, she embarked on a journey. Along the way, she encountered many obstacles; but at the end, she discovered the peace she had been striving for. In this narrative of taking risks while proceeding to a destination, I placed a female protagonist. By overcoming anxiety and suppressing desire, the girl reaches a state of ultimate peace.” -- Lee Yun Hee