Born in Daejeon, South Korea, Sang Joon currently lives and works in upstate New York. He received his BFA in Ceramics from Mok Won University in Korea and his MFA from Pratt Institute in New York. He has exhibited at numerous galleries and institutions including Korean and Japanese Cultural Centers in Washington DC and New York. Sang Joon has been selected to participate in the most prestigious craft shows such as the Smithsonian Craft Show and Philadelphia Museum of Art and Craft Show, and the invitational Old Church Pottery Show in New Jersey.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Sang Joon Park expresses his thoughts through the vessels that are thrown on the potter's wheel. He is known for using traditional Korean techniques — Inhwamun stamping/inlay technique to create floral patterns, and Gwiyal slip technique to apply expressive color slips. Park believes that combining the time-tested techniques and his modern forms makes unique, artful, beautiful yet practical pieces.
Park's installation pieces are both an extension and a departure from his wheel throwing method. Going beyond surface decorations, he started experimenting with developing sculptural forms by stacking and hanging them, destroying the perfect wheel-thrown forms, and arranging them to make abstract compositions. Park's latest piece, titled "New York Winter", was created by leaving hundreds of wheel-thrown bowls outside. They changed and weathered over time, reflecting their natural environment and seasonal change that surrounded them.
