Seoul Art Anthology
Language: English
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Contemporary Craft

현대 공예

Objects and works that makers create by hand in materials such as clay, wood, metal, lacquer, and fiber, from everyday things to pieces close to sculpture.

01About

Traditional craft was mostly made in workshops, with masters and apprentices sharing the work. From the mid-20th century the studio craft movement took hold, in which a single artist or designer takes a piece from idea to making in their own studio. Today's makers use traditional materials and techniques to make things for today: cups, bowls, and furniture for daily use, and also pieces not meant to be used at all, closer to sculpture. Looking at craft means looking not only at form but at the nature of the material and the marks the hands left. The Seoul Museum of Craft Art opened in Anguk-dong in July 2021.

02In the gallery

Look at the edges, joints, and surfaces of the material: where do traces of hands or tools remain, and where has it been worked smooth?

Wall label terms in Korean

공예
Craft
스튜디오 공예
Studio craft
업사이클링
Upcycling

03Notes

With contemporary craft, look beyond the shape to the nature of the material and the marks of the hand.

If you could pick it up and use it, how do you think it would feel in your hand?

04Related

All knowledge cards

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