Moon Jar; An Axis

Moon Jar; An Axis explores Korean and Australian artists' engagement with the Moon Jar together with those forms it brings forth, like the moon. The Moon Jar is widely regarded as an emblem of Korean aesthetic sensibilities, yet it is also the site of a continual reimagining across media by Korea's contemporary artists.

Axis establishes a cross-cultural discourse between Korean and Australian artists, examining at once the continuity of traditional practice, as well as the transformation which results from resituating the Moon Jar within a cultural context far removed from its historical beginnings.

The Moon Jar

Its simple appearance- a large, undecorated white porcelain vessel- belies a rigorous technical process in which two bowl-shaped halves are thrown separately and joined at the rims, leaving a distinct crease around the middle. During firing, variables such as the vessel's placement in the kiln and the direction of heat produce slight distortions: the gentle asymmetries, soft humps and uneven curves that give each jar its distinct, organic character. After initial bisque firing, the vessel is coated with a transparent or milky-white glaze and refired, with no added decorations.

Origins

Originating from the Joseon dynasty, the Moon Jar is a fascinating anomaly in East Asian art, for being a form entirely unique to the Korean peninsula. Archaeological findings show that production began in the official royal kilns (bunwon) of Gwangju from the early 1600s, growing in popularity through the early 1700s. For less than two centuries, it was categorised under the broader term baekja daeho (백자대호, "large porcelain jar"), and produced for both ceremonial and functional purposes, such as for the storage of grain and oil. By the late 18th century, however, production had ceased for reasons that remain unknown, and remained comparatively obscure until the mid-twentieth century.

Contemporary Currents

Today, the Moon Jar has come to be widely regarded as emblematic of Korean aesthetic sensibilities par excellence, and continues to be extensively reimagined across media by Korean artists. In recent years, it has also drawn sustained international attention; in Australia, for instance, a notable number of artists across mediums have notably engaged the form as a recurring motif within their respective practices. This exhibition includes works by Australian artists who have been asked to develop works with a challenge that is as open as it is exacting: to encounter the moon jar and find their own way through it. Rather than being asked to replicate or defer, they have been invited to bring their own practices into orbit with a form that is, for many of them, newly encountered. Works in forms that already carry some resonance with the moon jar have also been included: responses to the moon itself, to roundness, to the relationship between vessel, void, and so forth. What will result is less a survey of influence than a record of dynamic, live encounters between two fascinatingly different cultures.