Ph,D.of Art studies, Ceramic Critic Hong, Ji su

<CROSS·OVER> is an exhibition that ceramic artists in Korea reinterprets the Cross, the old religious symbol, as common title in a variety of materials and methods. This exhibition is significant due to newly attempt for interpreting the relationship between religion and art through ceramic art, which is the oldest form of art that has coincided with the development of human culture.

Most of participating artists usually do not concentrate upon religious art. They strive to create new language and form of ceramic sculpture that requires a sense of beauty in our time and express their independent personality with the most confident materials and methods. For that reason, <CROSS·OVER> is a place of __EXPRESSION__ where you can find a whole new world of cross away from simply religious art form. At the same time, it is a place for witnessing various materials, methods and sculptural spirit of Korea comtemporary ceramic artists in a large flow of world ceramic culture of today.

Participating artists starts from one word, ‘the Cross.’ However, meanings and images of the cross which artists made through struggle are all different. In this way, we can face a wide variety of cross derived from one word ‘cross’ through representation of ceramic art which is changing infinitely depending upon materials and methods, or how artist sees the cross. Artists recognize the world through their own eyes and the result of decoding are formed in contact with clay and their body, ultimately to complete the work through the fire. Therefore, we meet wide variety of cross of clay and fire as we see all the participating artists’ personality and their attitude toward life, and we can discover and ruminate life which is similar to ours. Furthermore, it is possible to newly reaffirm the providence and human identity of the great existence by ceramic art, compliance with the natural material properties to create form.

As unique terrain of contemporary ceramic art that crosses the area of fine arts and crafts, there are many __EXPRESSION__s of ceramic art in <CROSS·OVER> exhibition. Pious artists will create a “gracious cross” from the classic point of view to be considered a subject of blood and the spirituality of Jesus Christ. Some have also interpreted the cross as non-religious object but a good craft that gives peace of mind and change our living space. It is no longer unfamiliar to discover works that newly interpret the cross as an art not a craft.

However, in addition to the pleasure of witnessing a wide variety of cross, one of hidden pleasure in this exhibition is the fun of discovery. It is an important way to watch the exhibition, the fourth time this year, in comparison to the transition of the cross that was created by artists’ changing thoughts and __EXPRESSION__s every time. There are two significant meaning in witnessing the excellent results of the artists, who are either gifted or trained, in the same place but in different time period, first, discovering the changes of __EXPRESSION__ in Korea contemporary ceramic art, second, following finely the old relationship between religion and art, comforting human life and spirit, and possibility of combining those two. Here is an important reason for waiting and viewing this exhibition every year, long encounter of two media-religion and art, which have been questioned and softened the finite and weak life throughout human cultural history, percuss them in a new way of __EXPRESSION__ and interpretation of contemporary ceramic art.