Online: September 18 to November 5, 2026
Opening Reception: Sep 11 • 7 – 9 pm • more info

Ceramics in the Atrium

Legacy in Fire: Clay For You — 20th Exhibition marks a profound milestone for our community: twenty years of practicing, preserving, and evolving Korean traditional pottery in Canada under the guidance of our master, Jung Hong Kim. This exhibition brings together ceramic works created in the styles of Celadon and Buncheong — two iconic genres of Korean ceramics whose histories carry the weight of resilience, reinvention, and cultural survival.

Goryeo Celadon is a blue‑green glazed ceramic produced during Korea’s Goryeo dynasty (918–1392). It is known for its distinctive gray‑green hue, created by iron‑rich clay and a low‑oxygen firing process that gives the glaze its cool, jade‑like tone. Artisans developed refined forms and intricate inlaid designs using the unique sanggam technique, setting Goryeo celadon apart from Chinese traditions.

Buncheong ware flourished during the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897) as a bold successor to Goryeo celadon. It kept celadon’s inlay tradition but transformed it into a more spontaneous, rustic style. Buncheong pieces typically use a gray stoneware body coated with white slip, then decorated through inlay, stamping, brushing, or sgraffito. The lively, expressive surfaces of Buncheong contrasted with celadon’s refined elegance.

Celadon embodies the endurance of the Korean people. Its lineage is marked by violence, theft, imperialism, and repeated attempts to erase or appropriate its beauty, yet celadon survived. Its survival is not accidental; it is the result of generations who refused to let the craft disappear. In this way, celadon mirrors the perseverance of our immigrant community, who have carried this tradition across oceans and into new cultural landscapes.

Legacy in Fire celebrates this ongoing story of perseverance, honouring the people who shaped our practice, the relationships that sustain it, and the cultural inheritance we continue to nurture. This exhibition is not only a reflection of what we have made, but of what we have kept alive — the energy, discipline, and devotion that allow a tradition to both survive and thrive far from its birthplace.

Instagram: @clayforyou.canada