Naeun Han

Naeun Han was born and raised in Korea. She received a BA in Ceramics & Glass from Hongik University in Seoul, Korea in 2019. Before arriving at the Royal College of Art (RCA), she explored the beauty of the formative using geometric elements through throwing and casting. During her study at the RCA, she expanded her design methodology by exploring emotional design and visual quality. Naeun exhibited at the Craft Fair in Korea and the Design Museum in London. Also, she had an experience as a director of the group exhibition.

Naeun’s practice is studio-based and she works for exhibitions and commissions. To develop and extend her practice, Naeun is interested in international residencies and working collaboratively.

I am inspired by the short and long time of ‘moment’. The word ‘moment’ is usually defined as a short time in the present, rather than the past or the future, but as Kierkegaard explained: “The moment is not properly an atom of time but an atom of eternity. It is the first reflection of eternity in time. Its first attempt, as it were, at stopping time.” We face these countless instants in our lives, and we remember different scenes every time. Beyond the material, clay makes it possible to contain the moments of making. I would like to present precious moments in daily life through my work.

This ‘Moment 21’ series is inspired by the flash of natural changes that are close to us. The global pandemic has enforced pauses on our daily lives in every aspect, but nature has always been changing and living its time. At the ‘moment’ that I stopped everything due to the pandemic, nature allowed me to look around and notice that time had flowed.

Installation

Detail

The ‘Moment21’ are a series of objects, which are inspired by spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

This collection embodies a process of blossoming, which show the power of nature itself. Through the rhythm of blooming, I capture the movement of flowers and convey the beauty of spring. The curve of shape, colour, and texture of it represents the flowers’ hope, delight, and effort. Moreover, users can experience a multi-sensory space when they fill a scented oil in the glass.

Medium:

Porcelain, Glass, Metal

Size:

Variable size, each size is approx. 11×11×16 (W×W×H)cm

Sunshine Ⅰ

Sunshine Ⅱ

Detail

Through my practice, I intend to represent the combination of intense colour and the simple form of the summer sun. Also, using yellow and orange glaze with the airbrush technique makes it possible to look like bright glass. This simple but powerful design reflects the internal energy and the fullness of summer.

Medium:

Porcelain, Acrylic, LED

Size:

30×30×15(W×W×H)cm

Installation

Autumn is the season when fruits ripen, while it is also the season of change when leaves dry and fall. We always perceive autumn as a time of abundance and wealth, but I captured the image of a tree taking a rest for the next year after its fruition. This branch vase is made to appreciate their efforts and to memorialize the time of their life.

Medium:

Stoneware

Size:

13×13×32(W×W×H)cm

Series Ⅰ – approx. 11×11×8 (W×W×H)

Series Ⅱ – approx. 12×14×8 (W×W×H)

First edition

San su wha (Winter) – Period: Joseon dynasty Artist: Kim Su Chul Size: 46x119

For this series I derived inspiration from the traditional Korean landscape painting, which is called su-mook wha (ink-and-wash painting). Because it is only drawn in ink, it contains the movement of the brush and shows the beauty of the line and yeo-back 餘白(white space of paper). And this feature shows the space between the layer of mountains and the mood of the snowy and foggy sky. I have aimed with this work to reinterpret Korean traditional painting (2D) of winter through clay objects (3D).

Medium:

Stoneware

Size:

installation

This small edition was exhibited as <The Cabinet of Curiosities>, in London's Design Museum during 2021. In my cabinet, my interests were design, arts, function, emotion, and capturing the moments of time. I want to share nature’s changes between each season which tell us time is flowing.

These four objects embodied my design, creativity and methodology. Also, it becomes the foundation of the <Moment21>series.

Medium:

Porcelain

Size:

approx. 10×10×3(W×W×H)

Naeun Han

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Royal College of Art