Karma

Choi Young-wook has been drawing Joseon moon jars for a number of years. At first glance, the moon jar that takes up most of the space on the canvas appears to be a hyper-realistic painting that could be mistaken for a photograph, but it is in fact a sublimation of a universal image achieved through abstract expressive techniques characteristic of the artist’s work. Choi, who majored in Western painting, has attempted to faithfully depict the gloss and craquelure of the moon jar by applying the materials and style associated with oriental painting to conventional painting methods. Using handmade paints, the artist meticulously shapes clear but meandering lines on a smooth, thick, glossy surface. On the surface of the jar thus rendered, we can sometimes discern faint landscapes surrounded by clouds or mist, which call to mind bygone memories. His work, which has gained worldwide renown, can be found in the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, the Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, and by the Spanish royal family, as well as a number of multinational corporations and leading hotels.