New York
Glazed and patinated ceramic
22″ high x 25″ diameter

It seems impossible that this extraordinary vessel was made by hand, worked patiently from a lump of clay. It could have emerged from a coral bed, carefully extracted by a deep sea diver for further study. In fact, It was created one coil at a time with Young Mi Kim’s quiet attention, attaining this monumental size and organic shape. The survival of such a work in the kiln is far from certain; not only did this piece come out intact, it then led a long life in the artist’s Catskills garden, where over time a beautiful green patina formed and was itself worked by nature: by weather and insects which left their filigree traces on its surface. This work is completely unique.

Young Mi Kim is a South Korean ceramicist who works and teaches in Woodstock, New York. She builds her vessels by hand, forming coils which she works into a desired thickness, adding level upon level and with a meditative patience sculpting each piece into its final shape. The finished work has a biomorphic presence akin to plants and sea creatures. Young Mi writes, “In essence, each layer marks time and space. It is my attempt to live in grace: like an open vessel, empty and yet full.”