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JONGSOOK KANG

 

For Jong Sook Kang as a pottery artist, based in New York is in the second stage of her life. She has been living in New York for more than quarter century since she came to New York in mid forty's. She realized that New York was a melting pot of mixed cultures and an exotic place that brought her graceful nostalgic feeling all through the town from time to time. It was not easy for her to keep urban elegance as a traditional pottery artist in the center of contemporary cultures from all over the world.  Skeptic, which was caused by necessary daily routine and new birth, and loneliness, which was caused by intermingled space and time, are her spool when living as an artist in New York.

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Education

2004-2005 Attended Glass Browing-Urban Glass NY

1996  MA, Graduate School of department of Ceramic Arts

Montclair State University, New Jersey, U.S.A.

1996  Participated in Summer School Graduate Art & Design

Alfred University Alfred, New York, U.S.A

1992  MFA, Ceramic Seoul National University of Technology, Seoul, Korea

1988  BFA, Ceramic Seoul National University of Technology, Seoul, Korea 

 

Solo Exhibitions

2009 Hammond Museum, NY

2005 Tongin Gallery,  New York

2000 Clay Art Center, Port Chester New York

2000 “Space & Time”, Old Church Culture Center NJ

1999 Dai Ich Gallery, NYC, New York

1998 Bergen Museum of Art & Science, NJ  

1998 International Ceramic Symposium, Novohradsk Gallery, Lucenec, Slovakia

1998 One Gallery, Montclair State University, N.J

1992 Hurr's Gallery, Seoul, Korea

 

Group Exhibitions

2013 “Introspection” Tenri Gallery, NYC

2013 Sculptor Affiliates group show, Bergen community college Hackensack, NJ

2013 7th Biannual show “East & West Clay works exhibition, Hunterdon Museum, Clifton, NJ

2012 “An Indoor Sculpture Park” Sculptor Affiliates of the Art Center of Northern NJ.

2011 Group show, Maum Gallery, NY

2010 Woman power, Chun gallery, NY

2010 6th Biannual show “East & West Clay works exhibition, Arts Council of Princeton, NJ

2010 Sculpture member show, Nothern New Jersey Art Center, NJ

2010 "Mid-Summers Dream", Yegam Gallery, New York, NY

2010 “Wind, where are you going” Maum Gallery New York City, NY

2009 “Yes, we are connected”, Space World Gallery, L.I.C., New York

2009 “Composition of Essential Nature” Jun Gallery, New York City, NY

2009 “Yes, We are Connected” Space World Gallery, LIC, NY

2009 Contemplation exhibition, Kepco Plaza Gallery Seoul, Korea.

2008 “Clay, fire-up, Alchemy”, Hammond Museum, New York

2008 35th Aniversary Sculpture Affiliates show, Belski Museum-New Jersey.

2008 ”5th East & West Clay work Exhibition, Mashiko, Japan.

2007 Gorge Segal Gallery, Montclair State University, New Jersey

2007 1st Asian Contemporary Art Fair, New York.

2007 SOFA New York

2007 "Touch in Women " A.I.R. Gallery, NYC

2006 Loveed Fine Art Gallery, NYC

2006 Sculptor Affiliates, The Art Center of Northern New Jersey, NJ

2005 Space World Galley, L.I.C. NY

2004 "Fire Works" East & West Works Exhibition, Space World Gallery, L.I.C. NY

2004 Sculptor Affiliates, The Art Center of Northern New Jersey, NJ

2003 "100 Years 100 Dreams, Space World Gallery, L.I.C. NY

2003 "Generation 1.0 ", Korean Cultural Service Center, Washington D.C.

2003 "10 Artists Show, Belski Museum, NJ

2002 "Gesture of times"-Space World Gallery, Segye Daily Times News

2001 7 Artist, FGS gallery, New Jersey

2000 Faculty show, Old Church Cultural Center Gallery in New Jersey

2000 “The Impact of Millennium, 31 Korean Artists for 21 Century" Space World Gallery, New York, U.S.A

2000 A Celebration in Three Dimensions Sculptor AAC Northern NJ.

         Nabisco Gallery, NJ

2000 "East & West" Cork Gallery NY

2000 Sculptor Affiliates of The Art Center of Northern New Jersey, Jersey  City, N.J

1999 '99 East & West Clay Works Exhibition New York" Soho 20 Gallery, N.Y

          6 artists with Gil Hong Han

1999 Salute Member show, The Art Center of Old Church Cultural Center, N.J.

1998 The 10th International Ceramic Symposium in Novohradska Gallery, Lucenec,  Slovakia

         "Transmission", De Zaaijer Gallery Amsterdam, Netherlands.

1997  Soho 20 Group Member's Exhibition "Happy Return", Soho 20 Gallery N.Y

          Invited Group Exhibition, Gallery Korea, N.Y.

          Soho 20 New Member's Exhibition "Diversions", Soho 20 Gallery N.Y

          "A Celebration of Korean Art & Culture, Town Hall, Queens, NY

           Korean-New York Artist Society, Rotunda Gallery in City Hall, N.J

1994   The Korean Craft Council Group Exhibition, Seoul, Korea

1993   The 9th Jil-Ggol Member's Exhibition, Dong-Bang Plaza, Seoul, Korea

1992   The 8th Jil-Ggol Member's Exhibition, Dong-Bang Plaza, Seoul, Korea

 

Selected Awards

1999 Juried Exhibition “Celebration of Life" Old Church Cultural Center, NJ

1999 The National Juried Exhibition of small works-MSU Art Gallery, NJ

1998 The Montclair Craft Guild Competition-Main Gallery of MSU, N.J

1997 The National umlt-media exhibition "Woman 2 Woman", Soho Gallery, Pensacola, Fl.

           The National Juried Exhibition of small works-MSU Art Gallery NJ

           The National Exhibition for 1996

           Westmoreland County Community College-Pennsylvania  

           Westmoreland Art & Heritage Festival-Pennsylvania

           The 3rd Biennale Fine Art Exhibition of Montclair State University, Westbeth Gallery, New York

1992 Special prize in The 12th Seoul Modern Ceramic art Exhibition

           Press Center, Seoul, Korea

           The 27th Korea Industrial Design Exhibition-Design Development Center Seoul, Korea

1991 The 6th Grand Craft Exhibition-National Museum 

           Association Design Development Center Seoul, Korea

 

Attended Workshop, Residency

2004 Summer-Residency, “Snow Farm” New England Craft Pro. Glass Blowing, MA

2000 Residency, with Bob Burch, Glassing Blowing-Vermont

2000 Summer-Workshop Demonstration-Old Church Culture Center, NJ

1998 Summer-Residency, Ziaromat Factory in Kalinovo, Slovakia

1996 Summer-Residency, Duck Jack-ceramic sculptor, Alfred University

 

Membership

East & West Clay Work Association 1999-2013

Sculpture Affiliates of Art Center, Northern New Jersey, USA {1997-present}

 

Featured and Reviewed

American Ceramic Dec. 2007

"Up Front" Ceramic Monthly, May 2001

"Up Front" Ceramic Monthly, May '99

Ceramic Art Monthly Korea, Dec. '98

Monthly Design Nov. '98

U.S Monthly Front Line, Feb/March '97

 

Collections

Main Gallery in Montclair State University, New Jersey

Bergen Art & Science Museum, New Jersey

Hammond Museum, New York

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Statement

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A Pottery

              

The New York is the place of modernism for Kang. It has been a place creating killing beauty and connecting future and past. The brilliant, and hazy in some cases, urban beauty of New York looking from outside is a clue to design her works. The vertical blocks produced the wonderful sculptures organically connected with the help of lighting. The absolute beauty and thrill of New York are the basis of her outstanding pottery masterpieces together with the final touch of nostalgia.

Kang worked on vertical blocks with various height following the pottery plates. Then she was able to create absolutely beautiful night scene of Manhattan silhouette by adding numerous holes into the blocks. It is like a tarantella composed with light. The blocks with various height symbolize the chaotic cultures. The beauty of light illuminated through the clay plates is the banquet of led lighting. The light reflected against the clouds at night makes the sky of New York a colorful curtain. The reflected light makes fantastic hazy curtain when it rains and winds.  The diffused light of New York seems to be a bridge to connect clear cold blue night sky to the milky way. It is also Kang’s imago to show hope for the future beyond the despair of the past and the daily loneliness. Her works show us stories that our future will lead us in addition to the stories that we already went through present and past.

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점 과 같이  한 알 한 알 사과들의 나열은   어릴 적 고향  자하문  밖 뒷산에 있던 능금  밭 아래에 떨어져 뒹굴고  있던 능금을 연상 한데서 온 것입니다. 널려있는 능금을 주워 치마가 찢어질 정도로 가득 담아 집으로 돌아오는 길에  먹을 것에 대한 기쁨보다  탄생된 생명들을 안고 있던 데에 더 희열을  느꼈던 것입니다. 한 알 한 알 새 생명이 사랑스럽고 친근했던  기억들이 뉴욕에 정착한 후   부딪치는 또  다른  세계  속에서  뉴욕의 상징 사과와  능금 과수원의  추억을  만들어 가고 있었습니다.

 

10년 전부터 사과를 주제로 작품을 해왔습니다.  주변환경에 적응하며 살아가는 사람들 사이의 교감과 상호소통을 표현하는 데는 사과 라는 주제가  힘든 이민생활 속에서 충분히 희망을 불러 일으킬 수 있는 좋은 추억입니다. 나의 생활터전인 매력 있는 도시인 뉴욕은 제 작품의 깊게 감명을 주기에 충분하였습니다.  특징적인 이미지를 기하학적 혹은 회화적인 터치로 갖가지 문화와 인종이 복잡하게 얽혀 하루하루 급변해가는 환경 속에서 그 나름의 질서를 찾아서 함께 융화하는 모습들을 상징적으로 표현하였습니다. 일련의 작품으로 이번에 보여주는 질서 있게 나열된 사과 알들의 모습은 그 동안 일구어 놓은 터전 속에 기억되는 친구들 , 내 이웃들 그리고  스쳐지나 갔던 소중한 인연들의 모습입니다

 

흙이라는 자연물을 재료로 석고 틀을 이용하여 각기 다른 표정의 형태와 담백한 색과의  조화 속에 명상을 유도하였습니다

점은 늘 새로운 출발입니다.  이는 물레 판에 올려진 한줌의 점토로 대변 되기도 하고  여러 유형의 DNA로 변모된 수많은 변화의 창작 과정의 실마리를 공간에 투여된 검은 점으로 응축합니다.  존재의 관념 속에 시작과 끝을 말하기도 합니다. 나의 삶을 대변하듯 변화의 요체는 조각 진 단편에서 시계 열 적으로 표정을 바꾸어 나갑니다

수직 사선의 조명으로 시.공의 정지된 모습에 움직이고 있는 또 다른 생명의 탄생은 그 화장기를 더하는 표정 연출의 마무리인 것입니다

 

“Manhattan in Apple” 작업은 앞으로 이어질 나의 심상을 기약하며 나의 작업을 즐기고 감상하는 이들과 끝없는 대화이자 언약인 것입니다.

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