DONGHEE KANG

VASES

SHELL

coiling, 88Ⅹ65Ⅹ98cm, 2017

When I talk about my dreams, goals, and aspirations for the future, some people give me negative advice with worries. To not lose myself and my self-esteem from voices that don't cheer me up, I needed a strong shield.
A shell is a hard cover that protects the inside – the important component of a shell. I needed it to protect my inner self to grow fully. Inside the shell, you can find infinite possibilities and hidden beauty. I have made my inner self strong by creating this shell. The shape that I described is an abstract shell covering a crouching figure.

GEMSTONE 1

sculpture, 15Ⅹ15Ⅹ13.5, 14Ⅹ12Ⅹ13, 11Ⅹ11Ⅹ11, 17Ⅹ11Ⅹ12, 12Ⅹ12Ⅹ14cm, 2016

The clay we use is actually derived from the gemstones given by nature. It is crushed into the soil, bounded back together, and become clay. I made gemstones out of it again. We will all go back to where we came from.
Our flesh to a clod of earth again, our spirit to heaven again. I believe that our death will eventually give an answer to the question of what we are. Throughout life, this world is full of questions with no right answers. Therefore, I thought I should live my life more independently in order to lead my life to pave my own ways in it.

GEMSTONE 2

slip casting, 16Ⅹ10Ⅹ10.5cm, 2017

A gemstone has the potential to become a gem when trimmed, while being a natural object itself.
Rather than a perfect gem that has already been refined, a gemstone that can be changed into any shape is more attractive. First impression may be rough, but we have the expectation for it to get transformed beautifully which is its potential. Comparing myself to a gemstone, I made these gemstones with the intention of creating my own future, rather than fitting myself to an existing frame. I want to keep my own style and reveal
its value to the world.

CHAMELEON

slip casting, 15Ⅹ15Ⅹ9.5cm, 2017

I'm affected by the environment a lot. Depending on where I am, who I am with, and what I am doing, I show a variety of appearances. Like a chameleon, I adapt well anywhere and find myself in a new environment.
Many experiences I gained while staying in various environments have made me grow and made me who I am now. Using the basic shapes, I designed for chameleons to be visually simplified so that the meaning could be clearly conveyed.

MEMORIES

slab building, 135Ⅹ15Ⅹ2.5cm, 2017

Sometimes when I'm struggling with my life, I feel like I want to put everything down and get away from the reality. At times like this, a short trip refreshes and gives my life a boost again. Traveling enables me to continue my life. I live my life thinking about the unforgettable memories I have had on the road. The good moments on the trip were described in Sgraffito ceramics. Each piece means different places and is intended to show a flow when all the pieces come together.

VILLAGE

slip casting with lighting, 27Ⅹ18Ⅹ4cm, 2017

It was inspired by a trip to Gamcheon Culture Village in Busan. There were houses huddled together forming a village. Small houses are closely attached, which is aesthetically entertaining. The peculiar warmth that I felt in the village still lingers in my memory. I wanted to take out the memory and recreate it as a real thing.
After modelling with clay first, I used casting techniques and lighting to create my own village.

AREUM DDEUL

pen drawing, Imagon film printing, 29.7Ⅹ42cm, 21Ⅹ29.7cm, 2015

When I was a freshman in college, the place I loved so much was Areum Ddeul which means a beautiful garden. The shade cast between the trees, I liked to sit on the bench and watch the scenery where the students mingled in this place. Sometimes I used to draw the scene in my sketchbook. Now, the place of my joyful memories is gone, but whenever I look at this drawing, I still recall the moments I had in this place.

SUMMERLY KIDS

Positive Photo Plate Lithography, 29.7Ⅹ42cm, 2015

When I visited the ranch in Jeju Island, I took pictures of children playing there. Looking at the innocent and bright children, I was reminded of the times when I was a little girl. These days, I miss those days with my friends without worries. I applied two colours to the PS plates and finished these with a pen.

SINDANG-DONG

oil painting, 72.7Ⅹ53cm, 2015

Traditional painting techniques: painting with colour on top of black-and-white oil painting

When I was a kid, I loved to visit my grandfather's house in Sindang-dong. At that time, the road was so narrow that only motorcycles could travel. For me, it was the best place to play. I still can't forget the memory of playing tag on the road that twists and turns like a maze. No matter how much progress has been made in this city so far,

Sindang-dong's back alley still retains its old appearance. It may seem old and shabby now, but it's a grateful place for me to keep reminding me of my childhood.

MY GRANDFATHER

oil painting, 72.7Ⅹ60.6cm, 2015

Traditional painting techniques: painting with colour on top of black-and-white oil painting

My grandfather always rode a motorcycle to work. In my young eyes, he was a superhero all the time. The little girl just thought her grandfather would stay strong and healthy forever. However, a few years ago, I saw him lying in a bed with a sudden collapse caused by cancer. It was heartbreaking that there was nothing I could do for my grandfather. Therefore, I decided to leave him in good shape as a painting.

CORNUS FRUIT

silk screen, 29.7Ⅹ42cm, 2015

Before I started working on the silk screen, the reason I chose this picture is because the colour of the Cornus fruit is clear, and I thought it was worth looking forward to seeing what effect it would have from the widely cast shadow. First of all, by converting RGB into CMYK in Photoshop, I also found that the atmosphere can vary depending on which colour combination is used. The faded images gave off a rather dreamy feeling and I felt the charm of a flat image made only with a few colours. Finally, in the silk screen work, it was fun to complete the painting by stacking the paint layer by layer.

CHEONJI: LAKE WITH SKY

coiling, 38Ⅹ36Ⅹ24cm, 2015

North Korea has not been developed much, so the natural scenery is almost intact. At the top of Mt. Baekdu,
the highest mountain on the Korean Peninsula, there is Cheonji which has a hollow in the middle and water in it.
The place is so still that the sky is reflected on the water like a mirror. Inspired by this, I wanted to capture the changing sky in pottery. The colours of the sky, which change throughout a day, from dawn till dusk,
are expressed in layers of glaze of different colours.

FACEBOOK WORLD

coiling, 20Ⅹ20Ⅹ25cm, 2021

Facebook intentionally made their system addicting people and thus, they are earning money with the number of users who are paid by advertisers. Social media can be enjoyable, but people need to know about this truth.
Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, this work stands for the social media world which can look like the amusement park from the outside, but when people enter and walk through the bridge, they become the product for ads and can be fallen down to the rabbit hole (addictive space) underneath the bridge.

ORIENTAL SCENERY

wheel throwing, 25Ⅹ25Ⅹ30cm, 2016

I had a process of studying how delicately the description of the image can be expressed on the pottery.
This artwork is a homage to 'Between Red' by an artist Seahyun Lee. I chose it because I wanted to put an oriental, delicate and intense drawing on the pottery. A simple column-shaped jar was kicked with a spinning wheel and then layered with four different coloured slips on top of it and scraped off. After the second firing
in the kiln without a coating of glaze, the colour has become darker.

CELADON INCENSE BURNER
WITH GIRIN-SHAPED LID

sculpture and wheel throwing, 13Ⅹ13Ⅹ20cm, 2016

Originally, it was made around the 12th century during the heyday of Goryeo celadon. It consists of a body, which is an incense burner, and a lid, which shows Girin, a legendary animal, sitting on its knees. The incense burner is supported by three animal-shaped legs. It is designed for the smoke of incense to come out through the open mouth of Girin. With the combination of sculpture and wheel throwing, I recreated the decorative techniques of this artwork. In terms of Girin, it was bisected to scrape out the inside clay and then put together.

TEAPOT

wheel throwing, 12Ⅹ9Ⅹ9.5, 13Ⅹ9Ⅹ16, 15Ⅹ8Ⅹ9, 17Ⅹ11Ⅹ13cm, 2017

exploration of Ceramic glazes

One of the greatest things of Ceramics is the effect of glazes. It was interesting to see the objects in the kiln come out differently, even though they are coated with the same glazes, depending on the temperature and conditions inside the kiln. I experimented with what effect it would have when one glaze was applied thinly or thickly, and when two glazes overlapped. Referring to the results of the experiment, suitable glazes were chosen for my teapots and they came out satisfactory.

TABLEWARE

wheel throwing, 20Ⅹ20Ⅹ8, 10Ⅹ10Ⅹ9, 14Ⅹ14Ⅹ3.5, 20Ⅹ20Ⅹ2, 16Ⅹ16Ⅹ6, 17Ⅹ17Ⅹ8cm, 2017

One of my future goals is to make my own brand. The brand that inspired me is Yido Pottery in Korea. Their products are handcrafted and contain Korean sentiments. Now I'm in the process of heading towards my goal, but at the end I'd like to make pottery that contains my own signature. I wanted to make a tableware set. Korean bibimbap bowls, soup bowls, and various side dishes were made and finished with a pink matt glaze.