Lee Hun Chung

executed in 2014, this work is unique

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Lee Hun Chung

Born in 1967 in Seoul, South Korea, Lee Hun Chung is an internationally acclaimed artist and designer specializing in ceramics, who produces a wide range of items from small-scale decorative objects to larger installations. In 1991 he graduated with a BFA in Ceramic Sculpture from the Hongik University in South Korea but his formal education did not stop there. After completing two different MFA degrees between 1994 and 1996, he went on to study for a PhD in Architecture, which he obtained in 2007 from the Kyung-won University, South Korea.

Although Lee Hun Chung’s designs look very contemporary, he actually utilizes a centuries-old celadon technique dating back to the Joseon Dynasty. Despite his respect for the old technique, he constantly experiments with his materials, trying to achieve irregular and coincidental effects. Lee treats ceramics as ‘three-dimensional landscape painting’, moulding his material by hands and tinting the pieces with colours inspired by Korea’s natural environment. Combining traditional technique and earthy materials with a contemporary and experimental approach, Hun Chung Lee constantly pushes the boundaries of his medium.

Lee Hun Chung’s designs have been showcased both at home and abroad, including China, Switzerland, France, the US, Venezuela, and Australia. In 2011 his works were exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York as part of an exhibition Poetry in Clay: Korean Buncheong Ceramics from Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art. The designer has given lectures, held workshops, and received few fellowships, all contributing to and cementing his position in the design scene.