Koo Bohnchang, Vessel (RH 03 BW)

Koo Bohnchang (b.1953)
Vessel (RH 03 BW)
2014
Archival pigment print
Image size - 63 x 50 cm
Frame size - 91 x 77 cm
(White wood)
Ed. 3/15

This black and white print is a work from Korean photographer Koo Bohnchang’s renowned “Vessels” series, in which the artist captures his encounter with rare and precious white porcelain treasures from Korea's Joseon Dynasty. “In this series I wanted to make the ceramics seem like they were hovering afloat, as if the subjects are imbued with warmth and spirit…I wanted to capture the spirit of the vessel as if it were a portrait of a person.” As suggested from Koo's remark on the series, the Vessel series served a pivotal role in expanding Koo's artistic vocabulary—these porcelain objects were viewed as if they were human subjects. The series not only depicts the porcelain, but also reinterprets our understanding of it by capturing its essence.