Frank Gaydos on wed 23 jun 10
Koo - Philadelphia
Plain Beauty: Korean White Porcelain/Photographs by Bohnchang Koo=3D20
http://www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/388.html=3D20
Plain Beauty: Korean White Porcelain/Photographs by Bohnchang Koo=3D20
June 19, 2010 - September 26, 2010=3D20
Plain Beauty brings together exquisite porcelains made in Korea during the =
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Joseon dynasty (1392=3DE2=3D80=3D931910), Joseon-inspired ceramics by conte=
mporar=3D
y artists, and large-scale photographs by Bohnchang Koo (Korean, born 1953)=
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. Actively produced in Korea beginning in the fifteenth century, simple but=
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elegant white porcelains reflected the neo-Confucianist ideology of the dy=
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nasty=3DE2=3D80=3D99s ruling elites, which promoted a frugal and restrained=
lifes=3D
tyle. Production of these wares continued through the early twentieth centu=
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ry, yielding vessels of diverse functions, sizes, and shapes.=3D20
View more objects in the exhibition >>=3D20
While the evolution of ceramics in East Asia was closely related among neig=
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hboring countries, Korea=3DE2=3D80=3D99s preference for plain white porcela=
in dis=3D
tinguished it from China and Japan. In China, which was a source of inspira=
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tion and reference in the development of Korean ceramics, potters replaced =
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the earlier fashion for plain white wares with lavishly decorated Wucai por=
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celains that featured flamboyant, multicolored patterns. In Japan, vivid po=
=3D
lychrome Imari wares gained enormous popularity. As a result, pure white wa=
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res remained a uniquely Korean phenomenon.=3D20
Photographer Bohnchang Koo explored the classical beauty of Korean white po=
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rcelain in his Vessel series, produced between 2004 and 2008. Since the 198=
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0s, Koo has examined the overarching themes of life and death through vario=
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us subjects, including insects, animals, plants, and self-portraits. To cre=
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ate the Vessel series, Koo photographed plain white porcelains in the colle=
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ctions of museums in Korea and abroad. For him, these wares echo the essenc=
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e of the Joseon aesthetic, and=3DE2=3D80=3D94because they are often stained=
, crac=3D
ked, and worn by everyday use=3DE2=3D80=3D94they are a perfect subject thro=
ugh wh=3D
ich to convey warm traces of human life.=3D20
Drawn from the Museum=3DE2=3D80=3D99s holdings and loans from other collect=
ions i=3D
n the United States, the exceptional works on view in this exhibition creat=
=3D
e a visual dialogue that transcends both differences in medium and the time=
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in which they were created.=3D20
Support=3D20
This exhibition is made possible by the Korea Foundation. Additional suppor=
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t is provided by The James and Agnes Kim Foundation Endowment for Korean Ar=
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t and Frank S. Bayley.=3D20
Curator=3D20
Hyunsoo Woo, The Howard and Maxine Lewis Associate Curator of Korean Art=3D=
20
Location=3D20
Julien Levy Gallery, first floor, Perelman Building, annex to Phila. Museum=
=3D
of Art
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