HUN CHUNG LEE

LEE studied ceramics at Hongik University (BFA, MFA), sculpture at the San Francisco Art Institute, and later earned PH.D. in architecture after returning to Korea. This multifaceted academic and practical background has shaped a body of work that resists categorization—one that encounters the world and materials like a traveler, constantly in motion, always evolving.

Well known for his contemporary interpretations of the moon jar and white ceramic works, LEE also creates ceramic furniture, painterly surfaces, and site-specific installations. Working closely with elemental materials like clay, water, and fire, he embraces imperfection and unpredictability, blending precision with spontaneity. Balancing craftsmanship and spontaneity, intention and chance, LEE’s practice goes beyond object-making—it proposes a way of life.

He has completed major public art projects, including ceramic murals at Cheonggyecheon Stream (2005) and Sapyeong Station (2009), and has exhibited widely, including at The Metropolitan Museum of Art 《Poetry in Clay: Korean Buncheong Ceramics from Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art》 in 2011. In 2018, he received the inaugural Craft of the Year Award from the Korea Craft & Design Foundation.

His works are held in collections worldwide, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Seoul), Museum of Craft Art (Seoul), Bonte Museum (Jeju), and others. Notable collectors include artists Norman Foster and James Turrell, as well as institutions such as The Shilla Hotel, Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, and Hyundai Card.