Biography

Yusun Won studied ceramics from 2012 to 2019, completing BFA and MFA at Kookmin University based in Seoul, Korea. She completed a Master in ceramics at Cardiff Metropolitan University from 2020 to 2021. In 2019, she had the first solo exhibition sponsored by the Korea Craft Design Foundation, and won the grand prize at the 2019 Cheng Ju International Crafts Competition. She is selected for FRANZ Rising Star Scholarship and BADA Art Award in 2021. She is doing 21/22 Fireworks Graduate Residency. 

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Statement

“Things come from emptiness.” Chapter 39, Tao-Te-Ching, Lao-Tzu

 

  We are in relationships with things around us, but things are so familiar that we tend to take them for granted. I aim to search for new value in things and see the world anew. Impressed by the philosophical phrase, I explore emptiness in things.

 

  My work is deeply rooted in the rich history of vessels. Vessels have been made from the beginning of civilization. With such words as ordinary, familiar, and useful, vessels have been humbly considered as daily objects. What I do is reveal an invisible emptiness by dividing a vessel form into two forms. Through a small space, my work crosses a boundary between daily objects and art objects. 

 

My artistic exploration is strongly connected to coiling, a traditional and labor-intensive technique. I make pieces with my hands. I stack coils slowly and leave hand marks on surfaces. Hand marks contain time and effort. Through a firing process, hand marks permanently remain as a trace of life. With my hands, I reinterpret original forms and grant my pieces new values.

 

Lao-tzu., 2019. TAO TE CHING. Translated by Kim, W. Seoul: Humanist, p198. 

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