Korean Ceramic Foundation Announces 'Beautiful Korean Ceramics Contest' Grand Prize Winner Woo Eun-joo's 'Distortion'
The Korean Ceramic Foundation announced on the 11th that it has selected 37 award-winning works for the 2026 Gyeonggi Ceramic Biennale 'Beautiful Korean Ceramics Contest,' with artist Woo Eun-joo's work 'Distortion' chosen as the grand prize winner.
Now in its seventh year, the 'Beautiful Korean Ceramics Contest' is a major exhibition program of the Gyeonggi Ceramic Biennale created to inherit and develop the tradition and beauty of Korean ceramics in a contemporary manner.
This year's competition received submissions from 206 artists worldwide totaling 254 works. A panel of judges comprised of five domestic and international ceramic and art experts conducted first-round document screening and second-round in-person evaluation, selecting a total of 37 works: △1 grand prize △1 gold prize △2 silver prizes △2 bronze prizes △31 honorable mentions. The evaluation was conducted using a blind review method without disclosing artist information to enhance fairness.
Artist Woo Eun-joo's 'Distortion' received high acclaim as a work inspired by the moon jar, expressing the curves and soft tactile surface, with brush touches adding natural and pictorial sculptural beauty.
The gold prize went to artist Jeon Ha-ram's 'Iron-Colored Four Seasons (鐵彩四季),' a contemporary reinterpretation of the iron-decorated technique of buncheong ware, expressing the changing seasons atop unchanging natural elements like rocks and stones, capturing life lived in harmony with nature.
Silver prizes were awarded to artist Yoon Jeong's 'Round' and Lee Ui-young's 'Water.' 'Round' presents a fresh interpretation of the inlay technique, while 'Water' explores the texture and feeling of white clay, expressed through water droplet forms.
Bronze prizes were awarded to artist Choi Yi-jae's 'Original_082' and Kim Geu-rim's 'Jar with Color.' 'Original_082' reinterprets Samguk-era pottery, while 'Jar with Color' expresses momentary color and imagery in the process of stacking clay.
The award-winning and honorable mention works will be exhibited at the Gyeonggi Ceramic Museum's first-floor special exhibition hall from September 18 to November 1 during the 2026 Gyeonggi Ceramic Biennale.
Ryu In-gwon, CEO of the Korean Ceramic Foundation, said, "We appreciate the interest and participation of ceramic artists working to continue Korean ceramic traditions," and added, "We will make greater efforts to introduce to the world the beauty and excellence of Korean ceramics, the essence of K-culture, and to spread the value of Korean ceramic culture."
Meanwhile, the 2026 Gyeonggi Ceramic Biennale will be held for 45 days from September 18 to November 1, centered in Icheon, Gwangju, and Yeoju as a world ceramic art festival, showcasing various ceramic art works and programs.