EXHIBITION

FOG Design + ART FAIR

January 18 - 21, 2024

San Francisco, ca, usa

Salon 94 Design explores the rich legacy of the Moon Jar, as reimagined by 6 living Korean and Korean/American artists; Jay Sae Jung Oh, Jaiik Lee, Kwangho Lee, Minjae Kim, Soojin Choi, Steven Young Lee, and Young Sook Park in collaboration with jeweler Charles de Viel Castel.

Originating in Korea during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), the traditional Moon Jar’s formal qualities stem from utilitarian beginnings. Sculpted by conjoining two wheel spun porcelain hemispheres, the seam between them smoothed to a faint yet visible meridian, the unadorned white forms were first used for storage or flowers. In the 18th Century, a time when the country’s neo-Confucian ideals inspired an aesthetic preference for austerity and understated elegance, Moon Jars evolved into highly coveted ritual and votive vessels. They were prized for their near-perfect form and milky white glaze resembling the moon in both aesthetic and spirit.

Today, contemporary artists reinterpret this iconic Moon Jar, expanding its meaning through material innovation, new contexts, and applied imagery. For FOG, six artists approach the Moon Jar through the lens of their own Korean and Korean/American identity—expanding and exploring the limits of its craft.

Jay Sae Jung Oh’s Salvage Moon Jar employs her hallmark woven leather cord technique to craft not one, but several, interconnected moon jars in an assemblage that showcases her meticulous craftsmanship. She emphases the Moon Jar’s circularity and non-linearity through her surface patterning, speaking poetically to the interconnected nature of humans and the moon.

In an era defined by rapid change, these Moon Jars serve as a poignant reminder of the enduring relevance of tradition in shaping contemporary artistic landscapes. The artists, inspired by the Moon Jar’s timeless elegance, bridge studied craftsmanship with conceptual rigor and experimentation, inviting viewers to contemplate the intersection of past and present.

FOG Design + Art Fair 2024

EXHIBITION