The Goryeo celadons and white Joseon porcelains boast a dignified simplicity, with perfectly balanced forms and linear patterns. In contrast, buncheong wares exhibit a spontaneous artlessness, with carefree, coarse, and crude forms. More importantly, buncheong treasures the artisan spirit of our ancient potters, which resonates with me deeply. With buncheong, I can freely create a variety of decorations, patterns, and designs by inlaying, scratching, and cutting away the white slip. Unlike porcelains and celadons, buncheong does not hide the quality of its origin—earth.
Korean ceramicist Yoon Gwang-jo, born in Hamheung, Hamgyeongnam-do (province in present-day North Korea), is renowned for his innovative works inspired by traditional Korean buncheong ware. Guided by his mentor Choi Sun-woo (1916–1984), the former director of the National Museum of Korea, Yoon became a pivotal figure in the movement to revive and reinterpret traditional buncheong ware in a contemporary context.
As a dedicated Zen Buddhist, Yoon's practice is deeply rooted in Buddhist philosophy, striving for freedom and harmony with nature. In the 1980s, he shifted from wheel-thrown pottery to hand-building free forms. This technique helps him eliminate modern life's distractions while referencing traditional art and writings to infuse his work with peace and harmony. Yoon works in a mountain studio far from the distractions of the contemporary art scene, of which he is very much a part. Widely traveled and exhibited, he prefers the inspiration of nature and asceticism. For him, art is a solitary endeavour where trial, error, and patience are demanding teachers.
Yoon has exhibited frequently, including solo shows at the Kyoto Craft Center Gallery in 1986, the Ho-Am Art Museum (Leeum Samsung Museum of Art), Seoul, in 1998, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2003. His work is held in major institutions worldwide.
Permanent Collections:
- National Museum of Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, South Korea
- Leeum Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
- The British Museum, London, UK
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
- Royal Museum of Mariemont, Brussels, Belgium
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
- Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, USA
- San Francisco Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, USA
- National Museum of Victoria, Canberra, Australia