Park Sung Wook

Korean ceramicist Park Sung Wook creates primarily functional pieces through throwing or hand-crafting. Park Sung Wook studied a B.F.A and a M.F.A in Ceramics at Kookmin University in Seoul. His interest in traditional Korean ceramics and the historical practice of the form was passed down to him from his university mentor, Roe Kyung Jo, and is combined with a desire to create pieces for contemporary life.

Tea-sets form a large part of Park Sung Wook’s artistic output. He specialises in Buncheong, a technique from the Joseondynasty period (15th-16th century) which consists of dark clay being coated with white slip. Park Sung Wook dips his vessels by holding them at the bottom to achieve (dumbeong), before firing his pieces in wooden kiln at 1250 degrees Celsius. Buncheong allows a huge variety of tones and textures because of the clay mixing with the clay in the white slip.

Park Sung Wook’s work has been exhibited all over the world, including COLLECT in 2018, 2019 and 2020, and at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and the Horim Museum, Seoul.

“I work with small pieces of ceramics to produce a complete work. This process entails the reinterpretation of fragments of ancient ceramics. Through the process of putting the pieces together, I become aware of the layers of time.”