Hyeyoung Cho ✿ A Seoul-ful citizen of the world
Hyeyoung Cho
Hyeyoung Cho is a tireless advocate of Korean craft. At the same time, she continually challenges her country to build connections with the outside world.
The main things that inspire me to write are facts and references. Nothing comes easy for me as observation often dominates my mind. For a period of time, I would think about the subject that attracts my attention at the given moment. I think for days, trying to digest in the most objective way possible, if it is at all possible. My childhood is a kaleidoscope of recollected memories, as I lived in so many different places. I use myself as a filter to truly distil every essence until it becomes something that is akin to my skin. At the same time, I can be strategic. I think through every opportunity that is given to me and conjure up ways for everyone to benefit. Through this trait, I have become something of a mediator in the art, design, craft and culture worlds.
I have always been inspired by the writings of Professor Richard Sennett, Tim Ingold, Cultural Theorist Stuart Hall, writer Robert Greene, novelist Milan Kundera, Hanif Kureishi, Virginia Woolf, and poet Raymond Carver. I read them repeatedly. I also like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, in particular One Hundred Years of Solitude. It was a challenge, but once I reached the end, I was sorry to finish it.
Their views on life are objective and realistic, absorbing the transition of time. At times nihilistic, I relate to this way of thinking.
I live and work in Seoul, Republic of Korea, otherwise known as South Korea. However, because of my upbringing, I am always caught between two worlds: the West and the East. I do not fit in anywhere, always an observer and my second home is the UK because my thinking has been influenced by their education. I am most comfortable when I am there. Innately, Korean at the same time as my family is part of the 600-year-old Seoul’s history, a pure Seoullite, which is rare today. My family practices all the customs of a Seoul person. We like performing historical ritual ceremonies such as paying respect to ancestors, eating seasonal food, wearing the right fashion for the occasion and more.
Biography
I was born on September 11, 1969, in Seoul, Republic of Korea. My father worked for a Korean textile company and for that reason, I left Korea when I was four years old to live in many different countries: Hong Kong, Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and finally the UK. I attained my BA Honours Degree in ceramics at Bristol, University of the West of England, UK studying under textbook teachers such as Walter Keeler, Mo Jupp, Tom Supensky and more. Then at the age of 25, I returned to Korea to learn about my own background. In Korea, I achieved my MFA in ceramics at the Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea and then went on to complete the PhD requirements in contemporary three-dimensional art theory at the same university. Since 2004 I have worked as an independent specialist promoting contemporary Korean ceramics around the world. Currently, I have established a consulting company of my own to work on exhibitions and other culture and arts-related events. I have also been invited as an expert panel for the 2020 Loewe Craft Prize and I have been working as the Korean scout for this craft prize since 2018. Between 2018 and 2019, I was employed by the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Tourism as Secretary General for the Korea Craft and Design Foundation (KCDF). I overlooked the administrative aspects of promoting art and culture.
My early experiences include working as an assistant curator on From the Fire: A Survey of Contemporary Korean Ceramics (touring exhibition in the USA, mostly museums and art museums, 13 in total); Tradition Transformed: Contemporary Korean Ceramics (touring exhibition in Europe – showing at the Victoria and Albert Museum in the UK). I served as International Commissioner for the Gyeonggi International Ceramics Biennale in 2013; and as Art Director for the Cheongju International Craft Biennale in 2015. Many Korean universities offered me the position of Adjunct Professor and I have taught ceramics and theories in craft at Ewha Womans University, Seoul Women’s University, Duksung Women’s University, Kookmin University and Hanyang University. Based on my experience teaching at leading Korean universities I have been invited as speaker for many internationally recognized conferences and symposiums. I have spoken about Korean ceramics at the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York City, Samuel Harn Museum of Art Florida, University of Westminster London and more.
I have worked on many exhibitions as Artistic Director/Curator: contemporary Korean ceramics with the Fondation Bernardaud (1863) in Limoges, France, celebrating the 130 years of Korea-France diplomatic relations; the exhibition on Korean food culture and contemporary craft at the National Folk Museum of Korea. I have also written extensively on contemporary Korean ceramic artists for la 24ème édition de la* Biennale Internationale de Vallauris, Création contemporaine et céramique 2016 and more. I have been a jury member for the 3rd Kogei (Craft) Triennale Kanazawa 2017 organized by the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art Kanazawa, Japan. In 2019 I was invited back as a jury member for the 4th Kogei (Craft) Triennale Kanzawa 2019. Since 2017 I have worked closely with the Loewe Craft Prize as the Asian Representative and Expert Panel screening the competition.
My experience working on leading projects both internationally and domestically has enabled me to arrive at a situation today to learn more about the administrative side of promoting art and culture. Currently, my work involves fundraising, working with regional cities and promoting the cultures of remote areas. I started as an artist, then became a curator, an art director, a teacher and now an administrator.
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The scent of Korean contemporary craft - Hyeyoung CHO identifies the distinct aroma of Korean culture that imbues its authentic craft.
The role of universities in the success of Korean craft - In our sixth Reinventing the Wheel talk, Hyeyoung Cho reveals the pivotal role of the tertiary sector in the modern Korean craft. This will open up a discussion about the role of universities generally.
Beyond Limitations Mentorship camp, ClayArch Gimhae Museum - Jane DeBoos confesses to a liking for the Korean custom of formal respect in the workshop.
How to present Korean craft to the world - Artistic Director of the 2015 Cheongju International Craft Biennale reflects on the importance of craft to Korean culture and how this can be presented to new generations.