Korean Ceramic Art: Ro Hae Sin 노혜신

An initial glance into Ro Hae Sin’s office/studio at Kongju University explains just how she can make her intricate slipcast sculpture without fear of having contaminants disrupting the orderly progression of colored layers. The cleanliness and discipline of the tools and materials, the order with which the working spaces are organized and the quiet and light all combine to provide a perfect studio space for her type of artwork.

“I’m a mother, a wife, an artist and a teacher, so I have to be very organized”. The truth of this statement is evident as we watch Ro Hae Sin pour colored porcelain slip into simple geometric molds and carefully wait for the optimum time to remove the fragile castings. Each casting is built up of multiple thin layers of contrasting color. After removing the castings from the molds and waiting a carefully monitored length of time until the castings have firmed enough to bear handling, she then incises them freehand using a simple snapoff knife. Each incision is carefully calculated to expose the underlying colors and provide a contrasting pattern to the surface layer. A diminutive electric kiln at one end of the studio provides a firing site without having to leave the orderly confines of her office.

Without any direct antecedents in Korean ceramic tradition the crisp geometricity and contrasting colors bring to mind the intricate patchwork textiles that Korean women have been sewing for generations. When asked whether she might want to use her technique on less symmetrical or more complex forms, she responds that she likes the simple forms and that the growth of the finished piece through all its manipulations is fluid and organic even if the finished form is simple and geometrical.

EDUCATION

1990 M.F.A., in Ceramics, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, SK

1988 B.F.A., in Ceramics, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, SK

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2002 Gana Art Space, Seoul, SK

1998 Still Life Gallery with Sunflower, Daejeon, SK

1997 To Art Space, Seoul, SK

Gallery Shim, Daejeon, SK

Present Professor, Kongju National University

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address:

Studio: #569, Sangsin-ri, Banpo-myeon, Gongju, South Korea