Yeongam-gun Hosts Jeollado Onggi Exhibition Showcasing Traditional Pottery Craftsmanship

Yeongam Ceramic Museum Showcases Works by Intangible Cultural Heritage Onggi Masters and Successors

Yeongam Ceramic Discount Sale Event Held, Continuing Korea's First High-Fired Glazed Pottery Tradition

(From left) Ansi Fortress soldier's Onggi, tea jar, Jeong Yun-seok walking in nature. Chilryang Onggi ⓒ Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] Jeonnam Yeongam Ceramic Museum announced on the 28th that it will hold a special exhibition titled "Jeollado Onggi: Intangible Cultural Heritage Onggi Masters, Their Onggi Stories," highlighting the inheritance status and significance of Jeollado Onggi, in celebration of the autumn filled with the scent of chrysanthemums, starting from the 29th.

The exhibition features Jeollado Onggi intangible cultural heritage Onggi masters and transmitters, including Jeong Yun-seok, National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 96 Onggi Master, and transmitters Jeong Young-gyun, Lee Jeong-in, as well as transmitters Jeong Tae-o and Jeong Joo-hee, Lee Hak-soo, Jeollanam-do Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 37 Onggi Masters, Lee Hwa-young, National Intangible Cultural Heritage Onggi Master transmitter, Ahn Si-seong, Jeollabuk-do Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 53 Onggi Master, and Moon Ga-ryeong, transmitters Ahn Hyun-soo, Lee Hyun-bae, Jeollabuk-do Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 57 Onggi Master Choi Eun-jung, and transmitters Lee Mul and Lee Sol artists.

Onggi is a vessel that embodies the traditional ceramic production techniques passed down over a long period and has been widely used not only in dietary life but also in residential spaces and various aspects of daily life.

In the production of Onggi, the glazing technique using ash water and the technology for making large jars are considered core techniques in Onggi production.

Yeongam has formed an excellent ceramic culture closely related to the production of Onggi, such as Yeongam ceramics, which mark the beginning of the first high-temperature ash glazing technique in Korea during the Unified Silla period, and large Mahan Onggwan jars.

Moreover, Jeollado Onggi’s unique wheel-throwing technique is widely known as an excellent lifestyle culture that efficiently shapes large jars with beautiful forms characterized by large and abundant curves.

This exhibition is expected to be a special opportunity to appreciate the works of transmitters who continue traditional techniques, centered on intangible cultural heritage Onggi masters who inherit the Jeollado Onggi tradition.

Despite the shrinking place for Onggi due to rapid industrialization and urbanization, intangible cultural heritage Onggi masters continue multifaceted efforts to adapt to changing production environments and sustain the tradition of Onggi.

A representative of Yeongam Ceramic Museum stated, “Despite environmental changes, the efforts of Onggi masters to inherit traditional Onggi continue,” adding, “Although the production environment for traditional Onggi is gradually changing from a cultural perspective, we could feel that the spirit of the artisans making Onggi remains intact.”

Meanwhile, Yeongam Ceramic Museum plans to hold a discount sale event for Yeongam ceramics, inheriting the country’s first high-temperature ash glazed ceramics, from the 29th of this month to the 14th of next month, and the Jeollado Onggi exhibition will be open for viewing until the end of February next year.