From June 21 to July 10, Chun Ji-yeon’s abstract impressionist ceramics exhibition, titled “Piece of Color,” was on display at Kwanhoon Gallery in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The exhibition featured around 40 artworks and marked Chun’s seventh solo show. 

 Chun Ji-yeon, a graduate of Kyung Hee University (KHU), initially studied Ceramic Art in the College of Art & Design at KHU. Later, she pursued Fashion Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York, United States (U.S.). She now focuses on her ceramics work at her workroom in Paju, Saeori, drawing inspiration from the abstract impressionist ceramic art she encountered during her time in the U.S. 

Majoring Fashion Design

Chun’s unique background in both ceramics and fashion design is noteworthy. Reflecting on this, she explained, “Nobody expected I would study fashion design. When I was in the U.S., I had the opportunity to shoot wedding photography on two occasions. After those experiences, I became deeply interested in fashion. I even worked as an assistant designer on Broadway. At that point, I thought my career as a ceramist was over. However, looking back, it was a series of providential event. Studying both fields, which are interconnected in many ways, has significantly enriched my approach as a ceramist.”

 Chun’s artworks, characterized by vivid orange and yellow paints on the surface, evoke imagery reminiscent of fashion runway costumes. Chun responded, “Even though it may not be purely technical, I believe that the natural flow is more aesthetically pleasing. The colors and patterns from my fashion design background undoubtedly influence my works.” 

Chun Ji-yeon’s Artworks 

 Chun’s artworks encompass various series, including “Piece of Peace”, “Piece of Timeless”, “Piece of Emotion”, and “Piece of Memory”. Among them, “Piece of Peace” adds pictorial elements, using transcription paper on top of a stylized work that harmonizes pieces of pottery broken into an amorphous form. “Piece of Timeless” is a series that embodies the moon jar using a mosaic technique. “Piece of Emotion” showcases mosaic artworks using ceramic pieces, each expressing color, texture, and cubic effects uniquely. For “Piece of Memory”, she displays the text as an object on ceramic pieces with the theme of conveying messages throughout her artwork. One of the distinctive features of Chun’s work is the fusion of Eastern and Western ceramic art, creating a harmonious blend of oriental emotions with the modernity of abstract painting. Lines flowing down the outer wall of the moon jar overlap each other, telling their own stories and meanings. Using dots, lines, and sides, the paint combines to express the artist’s inner emotions intuitively. 

Chun Ji-yeon’s Style in Work

 Chun’s approach to her work involves breaking pieces to use them as the subject matter of her art. This process reflects the accidental events in human lives, combining various colors, shapes, textures, and three-dimensional senses. She emphasizes each piece of ceramics has their own stories and meanings. To convey these, she uses the cracks to reattach the pieces, to add the soil to change the height or texture and use different colors of the glaze. Reminding how she first started to break her ceramics, she mentioned about the cracks naturally split in the process of baking after sketching on the flat soil. The cracks were so beautiful to her that she decided to incorporate them into her work. All ceramic pieces of Chun’s artworks have their own tales. When asked whether she gives narratives to each piece or to the completed artwork, she replied that both are true. “For example, one of my friends once sent me a photo of a white landscape with snow flowers on the tree. That reminded me of John Ashbury’s ‘Somewhere Someone’, resulting in a color palette of winter-blue and winter-gray. When I took my work mad with those feelings out of the kiln, I could still feel the exact feeling of that moment.” 

Chun Ji-yeon’s Way of Life

 Chun’s journey has been marked by her studies at KHU and her subsequent decision to broaden her horizons by studying in the U.S. She has gained a wealth of experience as both a fashion designer and a ceramist, shaping her conviction in the direction she believes in. Despite a ten-year hiatus from ceramics, she persevered, building self-confidence and engaging with a diverse group of artists in New York, not limited to ceramists alone. Interacting with various artists, Chun could find her own identity as an abstract impressionist ceramist. Every piece of her life composes her identity, established as her artworks in conclusion.

Chun hopes that her artworks will be seen as a form of freedom to the public. “I want to be free. Rather than saying we must do this or that, I want to try anything new and go where I want. The same holds true for my artwork. I am exploring unconventional paths in ceramic work,” she emphasized. She also expressed that her biggest idea is to make the spiritual tangible, and enjoy universal emotions all together with her audience.