Gyeonggi-do has played a crucial role in arts particularly in ceramic history, and Icheon is the center of ceramic culture with festival and museum.
Clay, Water and Fire – Essential Elementary of Ceramic
Ceramic is a sensitive art
work made by nature materials. When each element mixed and harmonized in the hands
of craftsman, a pottery clay turns into an artwork.
In Korea, Gyeonggi-do
has been at the center of ceramic history. Cities in Gyeonggi-do has been playing
a main role as Korea’s pottery studio for more than 1,000 years. During the
Joseon Dynasty period, Gwangju city in Gyeonggi-do supplied the ceramics to the
Royal Palace thanks to its blessed soil, abundant of firewood and close
location to Seoul.
GYEONGGI INTERNATIONAL CERAMIC BIENNALE (Icheon Ceramic Festival)
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| Ceramic art work |
Keeping the heritage,
there are various sites and festivals themed ceramic arts in Gyeonggi-do. Launched in
2001, the Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale(KICB) has become a leading
international event in the field of ceramics. It has established itself as a
forum where ceramic artists and enthusiasts from around the world gather to
engage in the exchange of ceramic culture and explore global ceramic trends.
Places to visit
ICHEON CERAPIA
l Location : 263, Gyeongchung-daero 2697beon-gil,
Icheon City, Gyeonggi-do
l Contact : tel. +82-31-631-6501
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| Facade of Icheon CERPIA |
Icheon - Icheon Cerapia
(where “Cerapia” is a portmanteau of “ceramics” and “utopia,” referring to a “utopia
of ceramics”) is one of the main venues of the biennale and a true ceramics
paradise. It is a global ceramic art park situated in Icheon, a city that has
become famous for ceramic art in Korea. In order to stimulate greater
appreciation for ceramic arts, everything at Icheon Cerapia is made from ceramics,
including the galleries, the playground, the café, and even the bottom of the
lake. The major facility of Icheon Cerapia is the Icheon World Ceramic Center
(CeraMIX Creativity Center), which houses more than 2,000 modern ceramic
artworks from around the world. The center is a cultural complex that allows visitors
to appreciate and learn about world-renowned ceramic artworks through a variety
of special exhibitions and provides residency programs, workshops, and hands-on
experience facilities for artists, giving them an opportunity to focus on their
creative activities. In particular, the CeraMIX Creativity Residency Studio,
located on the first floor of the Icheon World Ceramic Center (CeraMIX
Creativity Center), has become popular among visitors for its hosting of demonstrations
by ceramic artists and glass artists showing off their glassblowing and
lampworking skills.
YEOJU DOJASESANG
l Location : 7, Silleuksa-gil, Yeoju City,
Gyeonggi-do (within the grounds of Silleuksa Temple Resort)
l Contact : tel. +82-31-884-8644
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| Yeoju DOJASESANG |
Yeoju Dojasesang is
located in Yeoju of Gyeonggi-do, a city that has become renowned for its production
of ceramic livingware, which was made possible due to the abundance of clean
water, lush pine forests, and quality kaolin clay in the area. Dojasesang is
home to the World Ceramic Livingware Gallery (Bandal Art Museum), a livingware
museum, and the largest ceramic shopping mall in Korea, consisting of four
major shops-the Art Shop, Living Shop, Brand Shop, and Gallery Shop-organized according
to the characteristics of the products and the tastes of customers. Located
near numerous popular tourist attractions, including Riverside Park, Silleuksa
Temple, the birthplace of Empress Myeongseong, Yeongneung Royal Tombs (tombs of
King Sejong and Queen Socheon), the gallery is a cultural complex dedicated to
ceramic livingware where visitors can browse, purchase, create, and appreciate
various types of ceramicware.
GONJIAM CERAMIC PARK
l Location : 727, Gyeongchung-daero, Gonjiam-eup, Gwangju
City, Gyeonggi-do
l Contact : tel. +82-31-799-1500
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| Gonjiam CERAMIC PARK |
Gwangju is a city with a rich historical legacy and was where royal kilns
were established to bake white porcelain for the royal court during the Joseon
dynasty. A place of particular interest in Gwangju is Gonjiam Ceramic Park,
which works to preserve the history and traditions that have been handed down
from prehistoric times on 160 acres of land, encompassing the Samri Paleolithic
Site. With its main facilities including the Gyeonggi Ceramic Museum, which showcases
major relics and artworks that date all the way from the birth of Korean
ceramics to modern times, and Mosaic Park, which focuses on exhibiting public
artworks, the Gonjiam Ceramic Park is a multicultural complex where people can
experience Korean traditions, culture, art, education, recreation, and
relaxation through traditional handicraft workshops, hands-on classes, outdoor performances,
a ceramics shopping mall, sculpture parks, and a gallery cafe, all of which
operate year round.
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