vessel Matrix. 2015 Porcelain, decal, adhesive tape
vessel Matrix. 2015 Porcelain, decal, adhesive tape
Matrix Series uses a 16-piece mold. Lee made the mold, made the base jar by pouring in slip, and then cut it into pieces before the slip hardened. The pieces were then moved around according to a certain set of principles to carry out Lee’s experiment. Lee usually makes up a set of rules for the pieces to follow and experiments only in accordance with those rules. Once we understand the rules, we can have a bit of fun by trying to reverse-engineer his finished work.
Motion Series 2016
Motion Series 2011, Slipcasting / Porcelain 27×ø15cm, 28×ø15cm, 30×ø15cm, 28×ø15cm, 31×ø15cm, 27×ø15cm, 27×ø15cm, 28×ø15cm
One prototype was made from a plaster mold that can be mass-produced. The plaster mold that was produced to move up and down freely in the process of casting can be used as a cast to create different types of vessels. This producing method stands for a formative language in which a technique of plaster casting can not only be mass-produced, but also be used to create quality and unique products.
Plaster molds are the only medium Lee uses for his artistic expression. To Lee, molds are useful not just for their capacity to reproduce, but because they enable him to conduct precise experiment of shapes. In craft, there is always some discrepancy between an idea sketch and its actual instantiation, but molds reduce it as much as possible.
One example would be his Motion Series. One usually needs two pieces of mold to make a jar, but Lee uses 40 different pieces held together by rubber bands. He then moves individual pieces up and down to make the precise shape he wants. The “sketch” can then immediately convert slip into a jar. Because individual pieces of the mold can be moved around, the possibilities are endless as well as the number of identical products that can be produced.
Tee Service - Ice Kingdom, Porzellan, 2012
Ice Kingdom is TEE SERVICE that a person whom I imagined in my mind seems to use on a daily basis.
Born in Busan, 1983. Lives in Berlin. He got his BFA in Crafts from Chung-Ang University and his MFA in Ceramics from Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music. He got another MFA in Ceramic/Glass Design at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle.
He was awarded the first place in the 13th Westerwaldpreis European Design (2014), the bronze medal in the 9th International Ceramic Competition MINO in Japan (2011), and gold medal in the 3th New Generation in Korea. His works have been collected by Korea Ceramic Foundation in Yeoju and Das Grassi Museum in Leipsig.
His group exhibitions include Ggildarak — Becoming one with Tea (Areumjigi Korean House, Seoul, 2012) and The 44th AIC General Assembly in Paris – Korean Contemporary Ceramics Exhibition (Espace Commines, Paris, 2010).
Kyungmin Lee
