Kang-hyo Lee Viewing Room
Korean, 1961 - present

On Saturday 12th September 2026 Goldmark will open its fourth major exhibition of pots by Kang-hyo Lee. Born in Seoul in 1961, Kang-Hyo Lee is widely regarded as one of the finest Korean potters working today. Lee and his pots can be found in the collections of Metropolitan Museum, New York, The Art Institute of Chicago, Philadelphia Museum of Art, the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the Sèvres – Cité de la céramique, Gyeonggi Ceramic Museum, Korea.

Although his work has a modern twist he is deeply steeped in Korean tradition. The beauty of his work is undeniable; spontaneous and direct, generous of form and naturally inventive. Every pot, large or small, is a work of art; each as individual as a fingerprint and perfectly weighted, a relaxed and confident marriage of style and function.

Kang-hyo Lee Viewing Room

Lee's work is rooted in the major Korean ceramic traditions of Onggi pottery – voluminous storage jars originally designed for holding fermented food – and Punch’ong decoration, where white slip is layered and brushed over dark clay.

Much of his work derives its strength and energy from his unusual decorative techniques. Dancing to the sounds of traditional Korean music, he applies thick slips in a trance-like performance. Hurling, splashing, and sweeping the liquid clay onto his pot surfaces, initially with ladles, later with his bare hands, he remains totally abandoned to the rhythm of pounding drums.

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