{"id":22776,"date":"2026-05-19T18:54:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T18:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/22776\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T18:54:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T18:54:10","slug":"from-two-tons-of-celadon-jean-shin-sculpts-a-metaphor-for-the-korean-diaspora-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/22776\/","title":{"rendered":"From Two Tons of Celadon, Jean Shin Sculpts a Metaphor for the Korean Diaspora \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Incorporating nearly two tons of porcelain fragments, a monumental pair of vessels spills out into a pool of lustrous green. Shards of broken cups and saucers, pots, and other voluptuous forms blanket the gallery of the Green-House at Green-Wood<\/a> for a new installation by Jean Shin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Celadon Landscape is one of the latest projects in which the artist transforms a singular material into a sprawling sculpture<\/a>. Found objects that bear traces of their former purposes and users are prized possessions in Shin\u2019s New York studio, as these often-discarded items are nested into dynamic works that consider the relationship between consumption, environmental care, and community.<\/p>\n

\"detail<\/a><\/p>\n

Green-Wood presents the second iteration of Celadon Landscape, which originated during the artist\u2019s visits with ceramicists and makers in South Korea. Celadon<\/a> production has a lengthy history in the region and dates back to at least the 10th century. As Shin encountered the heaps of imperfect pieces these artisans had cast aside, she found the pale green-blue material an apt metaphor for belonging, repair, and the diaspora. <\/p>\n

\u201cCeladon vases occupy a prized place in Korean cultural history\u2014objects of reverence, painstakingly made and carefully preserved,\u201d the artist says. \u201cIn Celadon Landscape, I shift the gaze to what is usually discarded: thousands of broken ceramic shards. I see in their imperfection not loss, but beauty\u2014fragments that still pulse with the memory of Korea\u2019s enduring legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

With materials donated by studios in and near the city of Icheon, Shin conceived of two bulbous vessels cloaked in patterned, painted, stamped, and textured bits of pottery. Resting on their sides, the mosaic forms appear to emerge from the earth below, as if they\u2019ve been uncovered in an archaeological dig. None of the vessels\u2014the original pieces or the large-scale reconstructions\u2014is presented whole and unblemished, suggesting a fragmentation that doesn\u2019t disappear but rather is made anew.<\/p>\n

Fabricated by Miotto Mosaics Art Studios, Inc., Celadon Landscape is on view through January 17 in New York, where Shin is based. Keep up with her projects on Instagram<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"two<\/a><\/p>\n

\"two<\/a><\/p>\n

\"detail<\/a><\/p>\n

\"detail<\/a><\/p>\n

\"two<\/a><\/p>\n

\"detail<\/a><\/p>\n

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member<\/a> now, and support independent arts publishing.<\/p>\n

Hide advertising<\/p>\n

Save your favorite articles<\/p>\n

Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop<\/a><\/p>\n

Receive members-only newsletter<\/p>\n

Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms<\/p>\n

\t