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Shattered Porcelain Fragments Fused With Gold by Artist Yeesookyung

Translated Vase (TVW5), 2013, ceramic shards, epoxy, 24k gold leaf, 24 x 20 x 18 inches, all images via Locks Gallery

Korean artist Yeesookyung masterfully produces imperfect sculptures, bulbous yet elegant works composed from mismatched porcelain. The series, titled “Translated Vase,” was first inspired by the Korean artisan tradition of destroying porcelain works that are not deemed pristine, and she has continued to make the fused pieces since 2001. Intrigued by these tossed aside works and shards, Yee began saving fragmented tea cups and pots rejected by contemporary masters. Honoring the works’ dismantled states, she traces each crevice in 24-karat gold leaf in the style of Japanese kintsugi, merging the unwanted works together in a way that heightens the beauty of their distress. In this way she blends diverse methods to form a contemporary process that evokes both the elegant designs of her homeland and the delicate rebuilding of damaged works in Japanese tradition.

Yee received her undergraduate degree and MFA in painting from the National University in Seoul. She is represented by Kukje Gallery in Seoul, Locks Gallery in Philadelphia, and Ota Fine Arts in Tokyo. This spring she was in the group exhibition “Earth, Fire, and Soul – Masterpieces of Korean Ceramics” at the Grand Palais in Paris. You can see more works from her Translated Vase series on her website.

Translated Vase (TVWG1), 2014, ceramic shards, epoxy, 24k gold leaf, 71 x 35 ½ x 31 ½ inches

Translated Vase (TVW5), 2013, ceramic shards, epoxy, 24k gold leaf, 24 x 20 x 18 inches

Translated Vase (TVWG1), 2013, ceramic shards, epoxy, 24k gold leaf, 61 ½ x 36 x 27 ½ inches

Translated Vase (TVWG1), 2013 (detail), ceramic shards, epoxy, 24k gold leaf, 61 ½ x 36 x 27 ½ inches

Translated Vase (TVW8), 2013 (detail), ceramic shards, epoxy, 24k gold leaf, 52 x 28 ½ x 27 ½ inches, Collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Translated Vase (TVW8), 2013, ceramic shards, epoxy, 24k gold leaf, 52 x 28 ½ x 27 ½ inches, Collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Translated Vase (TVG4), 2012 (detail), ceramic shards, epoxy, 24k gold leaf, 42 x 29 x 29 inches

Translated Vase (TVG4), 2012, ceramic shards, epoxy, 24k gold leaf, 42 x 29 x 29 inches

Translated Vase (TVW 6), 2013 (detail), ceramic shards, epoxy, 24k gold leaf, 27 x 26 x 27 ½ inches

Translated Vase (TVW 6), 2013, ceramic shards, epoxy, 24k gold leaf, 27 x 26 x 27 ½ inches

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2016/06/shattered-porcelain-fragments-fused-with-gold-by-artist-yeesookyung/