• Sangwook creates buncheong vessels, tableware and stools using etching
• He is fascinated by the natural, transformative quality of clay
• Through his works, he brings back the beauty of objects from the past into today's world

Sangwook Huh specialises in making ceramic objects using his own take on the traditional art of buncheong pottery. He first worked with clay in college in 1988. Deeply inspired by a buncheong celadon exhibition at the Hoam Art Musuem in 1993, Sangwook decided to carry this tradition into his future practice. Even though he learnt his craft's techniques and history at university, he credits his travelling to see traditional artifacts to have given him a deeper sense of aesthetics and his artistic flair. "I find it miraculous how clay, water and fire transform themselves into something entirely new," says Sangwook. In his first work on a traditional admiral Korean bottle, he altered its conventional form and gave it a new shape. Since then, he has focused on harmonising thick clay and white slip and balancing their contrasting properties in his work. "I get a sense of freedom while applying white slip, drawing leaf patterns and scratching the background," he explains.