[2024 FRIEZE Masters] Kwon Dae Sup

Kwon Dae Sup's white porcelain (baekja) faithfully reproduces the moon jars (dalhangari) that were produced during the late Joseon Dynasty, spanning the latter half of the 17th century and well into the 18th century. The rotund jar stands just above 40cm, its creamy white, rich. The porcelain clay is made of the finest sediments, high-quality kaolin impurities completely removed. From the choice of raw clay to the techniques of achieving kiln temperature, Kwon has inherited the essence, form, and techniques of the Joseon Dynasty's royal pottery. However, this is not to suggest that he replicates rediscovered techniques. Instead, he anchors the Moon Jars firmly in traditional culture while embracing modernity in his own unique manner. Kwon’s moon jar hemispheres are slightly deformed-yet-balanced. The unassumingly naivety of the misaligned hemisphere offers a certain solace, a stability. The texture of the surface is also varied.  Kwon is wary of his work being tagged as moon jars (dalhangari). The moon jars of the Joseon era were clearly not the same as his creations, and an attachment to the full moon may only limit interpretation and imagination. Kwon was born in Seoul in 1952 and graduated from Hongik University's Department of Art in 1978. After seeing white porcelain in Insadong, he studied pottery at Nabeshima in Kyushu for five years starting in 1979. In 1995, he held the first domestic exhibition at the Deokwon Art Museum. After that, he held solo exhibitions at the Seomi & Tuus Gallery, Seoul; the Axel Vervoordt Gallery, Belgium, and the Park Ryu Sook Gallery, Seoul. In 2009, he participated in Design Miami and Triennale di Milano. He held group exhibitions at the Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul; Mountain Art Foundation, Beijing, and the Paris Ornamental Museum, Paris and various exhibitions at the Bavarian National Museum, Monaco; Art Geneva, Genenva, and Ginza Six Gallery, Tokyo. He was named the best artist of the Korea Art Critics Association in 1998. His work is included in the collections of the Leeum Samsung Museum, Seoul; the Korean Folk Museum, Seoul; the Guimet Museum, Paris; the Russia National Museum, St. Petersburg, and the Chicago Institute of Art, Chicago.