Lee Gee-Jo: Two Halves Make One Full Moon

Lee Gee-Jo: Two Halves Make One Full Moon

Any sphere can be made by conjoining two hemispheres - and the same goes for Moon jars. Made by throwing one's upper and lower bodies separately and merging the two parts as one, Moon jar is a type of traditional Korean white porcelain jar. Lee Gee-Jo (b. 1959 in Jeju, Korea) is widely known for his traditional porcelain works, specifically, his Moon jars.
Not only does the Moon jar get its name from its resemblance to the milky glaze of the moon, but also as a result of its creative production process.
After the conjoining of two hemispheres, a Moon Jar is always bound to be imperfect with a slightly anomalous shape - with a slight bulge or dimple, reflecting the constant changing of the moon's phases. In other words, the organic beauty of a Moon Jar is reflected in its imperfection, deviating from an emphasis on perfect formative beauty. Lee is an artist who is able to recreate the historic white porcelain in our era, constantly exploring it and reinterpreting it within the realm of contemporary arts and crafts. It is said that the essence of his work is achieved through the repetitive filtering of the white noise in life - such is the goal and result of the myriad conditions of white porcelain pottery. Additionally, his in-depth study of Korean aesthetics and tradition makes his white porcelain even more meaningful. With this background to his quest, he has modernized not only white porcelain but also its cultural identity. Lee’s works, which reveal Korean and modern aesthetics, also relay an exquisite combination of tradition and modernity.