Artist behind ceramics on ‘The Kimchi Chronicles’ holds show

Ceramic pieces made by artist Yi Yoon-shin are among the most sought-after dinnerware among Koreans.

Her calm, serene ceramic dinnerware goes well with any kind of food ― whether it be Korean or pasta. Drawn by its beauty, chef Jean-George Vongerichten, who owns a number of Michelin-starred restaurants, bought all of her dinnerware to use to serve his food and other traditional Korean dishes on PBS documentary series on Korean food “The Kimchi Chronicles.”

The 55-year-old artist is currently holding an exhibition that showcases some of her major collections, as well as new artwork and a new collection of ceramic dinnerware at her Yido Gallery.

It has been a while since she last presented a new collection, after years of working for her family business as chief of a new big fashion outlet in Seoul. 

Her exhibition showcases 400 works she has made over the last 25 years, including the new dinnerware collection “Yunbit” and ceramic art pieces.

“She is among the first generation of ceramic artists in the Korean modern pottery world, and has continued the Korean tradition and put her ceramic dinnerware on people’s dinner tables,” said Kho Bum-soo, marketing manager of Yido Gallery, at the opening of the exhibition on Wednesday.

According to Kho, Yi got people to take their ceramic ware out of the display cabinets and use them on tables at home.

“Korea has a long, rich tradition in ceramics as seen in Goryeo celadon ware and Joseon white porcelain. But the path to the modern period was cut off during the Japanese colonial era and modernization. If we dig into old archeological sites, we discover pottery that reflects the culture and lifestyle of the people at the time. But there is no pottery that reflects our modern lifestyle,” said Kho. 

Yi’s ceramics are both practical and artistic, transcending tradition and modernity. The distinctive feature is in the rims, which show the texture and color of clay.

The first floor of the gallery recreates Yi’s studio, featuring her desk, design notes and sketches, as well as the new collections.

Her popular ceramic collections are on display. Visitors can see the sticker prices attached on the bottom of the pieces and even make a purchase on the spot. On the basement floor, the dinnerware used for “The Kimchi Chronicles” is on display with pictures of scenes from the documentary.

The gallery also holds pottery classes on weekdays and weekends and runs a coffee shop, which serves coffee and tea in Yi’s ceramic ware.

The exhibition runs through April 30 at Yido Gallery on Changdeokgung-gil in Jongno, Seoul.

The gallery is open from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. from Monday to Sunday, and is closed every third Sunday.

For more information, call (02) 722-0756.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)