Self-Medication

From 5 October 2023 to 14 January 2024, the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Riga (Skārņu iela 10) presents Self-Medication. Korean Ceramic Art, a guest exhibition at the 4th Latvia Ceramics Biennale, that tells a story of the artists’ feelings about the incessant flow of time and the poignant awareness of the moment of being.

The exhibition aims to explore the tradition of Korean ceramic art and chart the path of its future transformation today, when the boundaries between art forms are becoming blurred due to the synergy of disciplines. At the core of the exposition are avant-garde artists, "boundary breakers" who depart from the canons of Korean ceramic-making and turn to contemporary ways of expression.

"Korean ceramics occupies an important place in the topography of contemporary art worldwide, while the exhibition itself reveals the diversity of artworks in the authors’s interpretations, as well as highlights questions in the contemporary ceramic art, illuminates various artworks, explores the future of the field and attempts to define the core values to which ceramics, including in Latvia, should aspire in general," emphasizes the exhibition curator Leeji Choi from the Gyeonggi Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art.

The participants have a thorough knowledge of the ancient tradition of ceramics, exploring and analyzing materials, techniques and creative methods. The work process is refined through experimentation, providing an opportunity to look at the tradition with "different eyes". Interpreting the historical heritage, innovative artistic expressions emerge, marking a new development in the context of Korean ceramic history and tradition.

Yoo Euijeong. Neo-Blue and White Porcelain Jar With Peony Design. 2010. Clay, pigments, glaze, wheel throwing, underglaze and overglaze painting. Courtesy of the artist. Publicity photo

Yoo Euijeong. Ego II. 2010. Clay, pigments, liquid gold, platinum, slip casting, wheel throwing, underglaze and overglaze painting, transfer printing technique. Courtesy of the artist. Publicity photo

Kim Jungok. Cozy Time. Buncheong Pillows. 2010. Clay, engobe, cobalt, glaze, wheel throwing, inlay method, scraping method. Courtesy of the artist. Publicity photo

Kim Jeongbum. Guardian. 2019. Clay, glaze, metal, wood, author’s technique. Courtesy of the artist. Publicity photo

Jeong Kwan. What to Value. # 4. 2019. Clay, glaze, transfer printing. Courtesy of the artist. Publicity photo

Bae Sejin. Waiting For Godot (by Samuel Beckett “WFG”). 2019. Clay, pigments, glaze, author’s technique. Courtesy of the artist. Publicity photo

Baek Jin. Untitled. 2019. Clay, slip, glaze, acrylic box, slip casting. Courtesy of the artist. Publicity photo

Baek Jin. Untitled. 2019. Clay, slip, glaze, acrylic box, slip casting. Courtesy of the artist. Publicity photo

Yoon Junghoon. From the series Burnished Carbon Trap Jars. 2021. Clay, soil, engobe, wheel throwing, open firing. Courtesy of the artist. Publicity photo

Yoon Junghoon. From the series Burnished Carbon Trap Jars. 2021. Clay, soil, engobe, wheel throwing, open firing. Courtesy of the artist. Publicity photoWhite bottle-like objects in a transparent box.

Hahn Aikyu. March. 2021. Clay, pigments, author’s technique. Courtesy of the artist. Publicity photo

Lee Dongha. Celadon Incense Burner with Three Legs. 2022. Clay, glaze, wheel throwing. Courtesy of the artist. Publicity photo

Yeo Byonguk. Being. 2023. Clay, engobe, pigments, glaze, author’s technique. Courtesy of the artist. Publicity photo

Park Jongjin. Artistic Stratum Patch. 2023. Clay, slip, pigments, paper, glue, author’s technique.Courtesy of the artist. Publicity photo

Park Jongjin. Artistic Stratum Patch. 2023. Clay, slip, pigments, paper, glue, author’s technique.Courtesy of the artist. Publicity photo

The Self-Medication exhibition features in total 55 artworks of 16 Korean ceramic masters. These range from references to historical memories in multi-figure compositions to original ceramic vessels, decorative objects enhanced with techniques imitating other material surfaces, works involving text and unexpected emojis, and intricately structured installations.

The exhibition at the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design is held as a part of the 4th Latvia Ceramics Biennale programme in cooperation between the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Ceramics and the Gyeonggi Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art in Korea.

Participants

Bae Sejin, Baek Jin, Hahn Aikyu, Jeong Kwan, Kim Jeongbum, Kim Jungok, Kim Yikyung, Lee Dongha, Lee Neungho, Oh Hyangjong, Oh Jeisung, Park Jongjin, Ree Soojong, Yeo Byonguk, Yoo Euijeong, Yoon Junghoon,

Organizers

The Latvia Ceramics Biennale is supported by