May 8 – July 31, 2025|
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 8, 2025 | 5-7 PM |
Images courtesy of the artists |
Through figurative sculpture, two Korean-born artists transcend language and cultural barriers to tell their personal stories and express emotions that resonate universally. By sharing their unique perspectives and introspection, they offer alternative interpretations and an opportunity for a more comprehensive understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
Kyungmin Park‘s artistic vision was inspired by her experience as an immigrant in the U.S., where she had to learn a new language and customs. This process of adaptation reminded her of the experience of being a child, which led her to explore a childlike state, characterized by freedom, creativity, and the ability to embrace new experiences without restraint. Park’s ceramic sculptures often feature childlike figures with expressive faces that convey a range of human emotions and experiences. Amorphous forms symbolize the boundless imagination of childhood, while the lines and colors represent the societal expectations and constraints of adulthood.
Jinsik Yoo works with clay to create abstract representations of bodily forms, sculptures that embody the layered nature of existence. Through his artistic practices, Yoo expands, alters, intensifies, and ambiguates features so that his sculptures resonate beyond the physical and depict social, emotional, and psychological complexity. Ambiguity in his sculptures challenges viewers to engage with the art on a deeper level, prompting them to ask questions about themselves and their own inner worlds. Yoo’s artistic inquiry centers less on offering definitive conclusions and more on exploratory thinking and questioning.
Opening reception
Thursday, May 8, 2025 | 5-7 PM
The Korea Society Gallery is open only by appointment. The appointment must be made at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled visit. To make an appointment, please contact info@koreasociety.org.
Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday 10 AM-4:30 PM
Summer Hours during the month of August: Monday-Thursday 10 AM-4:30 PM
By Appointment Only
Click here to make an appointment
The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor, NYC
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Kyungmin Park is a South Korean-born ceramic artist. Park earned her BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2008 and her MFA from the University of Georgia in 2012. She currently lives and works in Boston and is an Associate Professor at Endicott College in Beverly, MA.
Park was selected as a 2025 National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Demonstration Artist and has received numerous awards, including the 2016 NCECA Emerging Artist of the Year, the 2015 Emerging Artist Award from Ceramics Monthly Magazine, and the Matsutani (2014-2015) and Windgate (2015-2016) Fellowships while at the Archie Bray Foundation. She has participated in artist residencies at AIR Vallauris in France (2011 & 2022), Jingdezhen International Studio in China (2017), Red Lodge Clay Center in Montana (2018), and Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts in Maine (2016).
Park’s work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, most notably at the Aqua Art Miami Basel, SOFA Chicago, The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, Scripps College Ceramic Annual, Penland School of Crafts, Arrowmont School of Arts, Fuller Craft Museum, Museum of Arts and Science in Georgia, The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Canton Museum of Art, and Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, along with a multitude of galleries, including Abel Contemporary, Abmeyer + Wood, Belger Arts Center, Cerbera, Companion, Duane Reed, Eutectic, Kolva-Sullivan, Lacoste, Leedy-Voulkos Art Center, Lillstreet Art Center, Morean Art Center, and various Signature galleries.
Jinsik Yoo is a sculptor and painter from Daejeon, South Korea. He received his BFA in graphic design from Konkuk University in Seoul. He then worked as a graphic designer for three years before returning to Konkuk to complete graduate studies in ceramics. In 2017, Yoo moved to the United States to pursue his MFA at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, completing a year-long residency at the Wellsville Creative Arts Center upon finishing his degree. He then moved to Brooklyn, New York, in 2020, where he worked as a fabrication assistant for Simone Leigh. After completing the residency program at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, Yoo is currently based in Athens, GA, teaching at the University of Georgia while continuing his artistic practice.
Yoo’s paintings and ceramic sculptures have been exhibited nationally and internationally, most notably at the KIAF Seoul Art Fair, A.P.E. Gallery, Jane Hartsook Gallery, The Clay Studio, Stroll Garden Gallery, and Eutectic Gallery. He won the 2021 NCECA’s Emerging Artists Fellowship, and his work is in the collection of Alfred Ceramic Art Museum, Alfred Ny, and Museum of Medellin Modern Art in Columbia.
