SE OH
Han
Artist Reception: January 11th, 6-8 PM
January 11th- February 11th, 2023
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At nine months old, a white American couple from Tennessee adopted me from Incheon, South Korea. Growing up in America’s Deep South came with challenges. Racism perpetuated a sense of isolation within me. I internalized these experiences from a very young age which manifested in anger and resentment. In adulthood, my desire to understand my Korean origin became my pride and compass. I sought to connect with my ancestry through food and later, porcelain to begin the process of assembling my Korean identity.
Han is a word and concept used in Korea to explain emotions and anchored in grief and resentment. This complex state is colored with other sentiments, such as rage, sorrow, and loss. Han is understood to be an essential component of Korean identity and a shared national characteristic of the Korean people. The relatively modern word originated during the Japanese occupation of Korea, which left the country partitioned. My experience of Han manifested in critical moments of my life growing up as an assimilated Korean-American.
The ceramic sculptures displayed in the exhibition at Half Gallery reflect upon the inner burning that every Korean person is said to be born with. Red glazes confess an internal seething. The scorched volcanic glazes disagree with the cooling celadon blues. The vessels in Han are at once cavernous and eternal yet fragile and vulnerable, conveying the discord of the Asian dysphoric experience. Among the monumental vessel are smaller nestled pieces, a common theme in my work. The act of opening up these vessels and exposing something new and vulnerable within is both revealing and an act of resilience.
-Se Oh, 2023
