Hun Chung Lee Finds Finesse in Clay, Concrete, and Steel

Bio: The extensive work of Hun Chung Lee (b. 1967) reflects both the breadth of his creative vision and his commitment to dissolving the boundaries between art, design, and architecture. Recognized for his mastery of fifteenth-century Korean celadon glazing techniques and the innovative ways in which he modernizes them, Lee combines the formal languages of sculpture and functional design to create work that challenges conventional categorizations of form and utility. Hun Chung Lee received his BFA and MFA in ceramic sculpture from Hongik University in Seoul, Korea, before moving to the United States to earn a second MFA in sculpture from the San Francisco Art Institute. He later completed a PhD in architecture at Kyung-won University in Korea. His work is held in the collections of the Archie Bray Foundation Center, Helena, MT; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA; Dae-yoo Culture Foundation, Seoul, South Korea; the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea; Jinro Foundation of Culture, Seoul, South Korea; Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, Australia; and numerous other public and private collections. Lee currently lives and works between Seoul and Los Angeles.

Title of work: Island

Where to see it: The exhibition Where Immortals Sing and Dance, on view at MANITOGA / The Russel Wright Design Center through November 16

Three words to describe this work: Isolation, bridge, journey

What was on your mind at the time: An intuitive dialogue with clay as a material.

An interesting feature that’s not immediately noticeable: From a distance, the work reads simply as a sphere of yellow and red. Up close, the organic character of the clay comes through, along with the depth of the glaze colors that develop at high firing temperatures.

How the work reflects your practice as a whole: I work around the theme of travel, where departure and return exist side by side. The islands I discover on my journeys are not isolated or forgotten places. They are bridges that connect people to people, culture to culture, and the present to the past. My islands are not alone; they are linked to one another by bridges that run beneath the sea.

One song that captures the work’s essence: “Feel” by Hiroshi Yoshimura.