Located at the southern tip of South Korea is Gangjin, the national home of celadon. The area in and around Gangjin was a major production site of blue celadon from the 10th to the 14th century. Gangjin’s geographical location provided local ceramicists with significant benefits, notably abundant clay and kiln fuel reserves, water, ready access to sea transport and a temperate climate. The area produced more than 80% of the nation’s national celadon treasures and a significant proportion of the internationally recognised Korean celadon masterpieces.

With the invasion of Korea by the Mongols in the 13th century, and the Japanese in the 16th century, the production of celadon was severely hampered. During the Japanese invasion many Gangjin potters were abducted and forcefully relocated to produce porcelains in Japan. Later, this resulted in the development of both the porcelain and tea industries of Japan. This act of cultural genocide is now annually reenacted as part of the Gangjin Celadon Festival Celebrations. A boat laden with celadon vessels is anchored in the Gangjin Harbor with scarecrow soldiers lining the foreshore as a visually dramatic deterrent to any further invasion.

The 2009 International Gangjin Celadon Exhibition.

Ruth Park

Figure 1                  Figure 2

Invasion Reenactment         Scarecrow Soldiers

In 1910 the Japanese again took control of Korea. The political freedom of the Korean people was severely restricted while they attempted to assimilate the Korean people into Japanese culture. Since independence from the Japanese in 1948 and South Korea’s subsequent economic growth and influence there has been a national effort to rebuild Korea’s cultural identity. Specific areas of traditional Korean culture have been targeted for support. The Gangjin Celadon Cultural Festival is a beneficiary of this recent Government initiative.

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Gangjin Celadon Festival Lanterns Gangjin Festival Parade

Each year the Festival showcases Goryeo celadon with an exhibition/competition of Korea’s leading celadon artisans. It also features the work of globally recognized artists where working in celadon is not a selection criterion. In 2009 we saw the first juried exhibition with artists selected from Australia, Israel, Canada, the USA and New Zealand. International exhibitors were invited to attend the festival as guests of the city with accommodation, transport and meals provided.

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By Shin Byung Suk          International Participants at great workshop

Grand Prize Goryo Celadon Exhibit

In addition exhibitors were treated to a five day ceramic workshop presented by some of Korea’s most respected ceramic artists.  The workshops are a true immersion into the many facets of Korean ceramics with presenters such as Lee Hak Su, a government designated Human Cultural Treasure in Onggi, Kang Seong-Gon, a contemporary vessel maker with a traditional influence, Myng Jae-Hyun, a tea bowl master who threw using a traditional Korean kick wheel and who had a deeply spiritual approach to working with clay, Cho Jae-Ho, a maker of colourful contemporary tea bowls and ceramic sculptures with a distinctively Asian aesthetic, Jung Gi-Bong, a master of the traditional Korean technique of carved inlaid slip decoration glazed in celadon and Choi Bum-Chang, a large vessel thrower with distinctive textured crackled surfaces.

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Cho Jae-ho - Demonstrator                  Jung Gi-Bong - Demonstrator

Contemporary Tea Bowls and Sculpture   Contemporary Carving techniques to international

                                                                    participants Steven Allen (USA) and author 

                                                                    Ruth Park (Australia)

A tour partly subsidized by Gangjin City, US Travel and Morning Earth Tours was also provided for the international exhibitors. The tour traveled to other significant ceramic areas of Korea. Exhibitors were treated to the hospitality and demonstrations of several of Korea’s Human Cultural Treasures in ceramics and other significant Korean ceramic artists.  Among the cities visited were Gyeongju, the ancient capital of Korea, Mungyeong one of Korea’s most important 1000-year-old tea bowl villages, Yeoju, Icheon and Kwangju the three ceramic cities featured in the World Ceramic Exposition, and Seoul.  Important museums and historical sites were also included giving the international ceramic artists a more in-depth experience of Korean ceramics.

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Gangjin Exhibit Venue (top middle)                                           Aerial View

Surrounded by Festival Stalls                                                                                                                             

Among the American representatives were Nuala Creed from California, Steven Allen San Francisco, Keith Lambert North Carolina, Larry Stern New York, Cheryl Tall from California and Arthur and Mary Park from Michigan. The exhibition calls for submissions annually. For further details contact Arthur Park on morningearth@sbcglobal.net.

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T 42                                                        Sleeping Baby - With a Bomb

Cheryl Tall                                             Nuala Creed                                                                              

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Ruth Park, from Australia, is not related to Arthur and Mary Park from the USA.  One “Park” has Scottish roots the other Korean.