Exhibition at MMCA Gwacheon
Open Until March 29 Next Year
The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art announced on November 26 that it will host the retrospective exhibition "Shin Sangho: Infinite Variations" at its Gwacheon location until March 29 next year, featuring the pioneering figure of contemporary Korean ceramics, Shin Sangho.
Interior view of the retrospective exhibition 'Shin Sangho: Infinite Variations.' Courtesy of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art
This exhibition highlights the sculptural and painterly creative journey of the artist, who has built an independent artistic world using clay as his medium over more than 60 years, responding to changes in society and art throughout modern Korean history. It introduces the expanded scope of contemporary Korean ceramics, presenting over 90 ceramic works and 70 archival materials.
The exhibition title, "Shin Sangho: Infinite Variations," symbolizes the artist’s relentless journey of deconstructing the traditional forms and meanings of Korean ceramics while establishing new orders.
Part 1, "Clay: From Material to Narrative," focuses on Shin Sangho’s traditional ceramics from the 1960s to the 1990s. In 1965, the year he entered the Department of Crafts at Hongik University, Shin acquired a kiln in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, and began producing traditional ceramics. He pioneered the use of gas kilns in Korea and sought to modernize tradition through various approaches, including the production of finely designed tableware and collaborations with painters. Works reflecting the artist’s early identity, such as the "I" series (1973-1980s), which debuted at his first solo exhibition in 1973, are also on display.
Interior view of the retrospective exhibition 'Shin Sangho: Infinite Variations.' Courtesy of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art
Part 2, "The Age of Ceramic Sculpture," features Shin Sangho’s ceramic sculptures, or "dojo," which he began presenting in 1986. During his time as an exchange professor at Central Connecticut State University in 1984, Shin encountered American abstract expressionist ceramics and began pursuing a synthesis of sculptural and painterly elements in art, leading to his "Dream" series (1990-1995). To internationalize Korean ceramics, he operated the "International Ceramics Workshop" at his studio, Bugok Dobang, as part of the cultural events for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. After experiencing an African art exhibition in the United Kingdom in 1995, he became fascinated by the primitivism of other cultures and established his own formal language by creating the "Dream of Africa" series (2000-), which expresses the primordial vitality and structural power of clay.
Part 3, "Painting with Fire," highlights the experimental nature of Shin Sangho’s architectural ceramics since 2001, featuring more than 600 ceramic tiles and architectural archives. He has explored the fusion of ceramics and architecture, undertaking large-scale exterior wall projects using ceramic tiles. Beginning with "Millennium Tide" at the Seoul Central City Express Bus Terminal, he installed "fired paintings" ceramic tiles on the exterior walls of venues such as Clayarch Gimhae Museum, the Kumho Asiana headquarters (now the Concordian Building), and Seocho Samsung Town. The term "fired painting" was coined to distinguish the unique texture and color produced by firing clay from the paint on a canvas. The 50×50 cm ceramic tiles are designed as a flexible, detachable system that covers wall surfaces while allowing for separation and reinstallation.
Retrospective Exhibition 'Shin Sangho: Infinite Variations' Interior View. Courtesy of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art
Additionally, Part 4, "Dialogue with Objects," introduces Shin’s collection of old objects from other cultures and the creative activities inspired by them, which began in the 1990s. Part 5, "The End of Clay, The Beginning of Clay," focuses on his ceramic paintings since 2017, in which he attaches clay panels to metal panels and applies a diverse range of colors.
The exhibition also features an educational program, "Imaginary Animals Born from Clay," in which participants can create their own imaginary animals in ceramic sculpture, inspired by the artist’s representative "Dream of Africa" series.
Kim Sunghui, Director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, stated, "This exhibition, which covers the entire body of work by Shin Sangho, who has led the history of contemporary Korean ceramics, is the largest solo exhibition of a ceramic artist ever held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. I hope that through Shin Sangho’s unique artistic world, visitors will discover the infinite possibilities of clay as a material and broaden their perspectives on contemporary Korean ceramics."
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