Shin Hyun-choul

Shin Hyun Choul is a Korean ceramics artist. He was born in 1956 in Gumi, Kyungsangbukdo, South Korea. He won the grand prize at 2001 Yixing International Ceramic Pottery Contest (Yixing, China) face to 780 worldwide ceramist masters. He became Royal Potter Master of Gwangju, Kyunggido, South Korea in 2013.
Career and Philosophy of his work
In April 1982, Shin Hyun Choul started his career as a ceramic artist. He built a kiln and founded Shin Hyun Cheol Ceramics Research Institute in Gwang-Ju, Gyunggi Province, in July, 1985.
Shin created new designs for tea utensils reflecting the beauty of Korean pottery. His works combine practicality and functionality, he studied and experimented each design for at least 3 to 5 years. He also contributed to the works of his colleagues.
With the increase in tea drinkers, Shin studied tea utensils for new tea ceremony rules. He developed ‘Full Bloom Lotus Pond ceremony rules’ (placing a frozen whole lotus blossom into a large lotus shaped bowl and pouring hot water to watch the blossom fully bloom).
‘Lotus Pond’ (large lotus-shaped tea bowl) and its respective tea manufacturing method is registered as patent 0293627. Various tea utensils he designed, such as lotus leaf tea cups and lotus blossom tea cups were developed as a utility model or design registration. Research and development continues on new designs. Shin has played a role in the development all over the world of the tea culture.
He received the grand prix among 780 art pieces, with many of his pieces displayed in National Museum of Korea and various provincial museums. Furthermore, Shin’s works are displayed in Museum of Natural History (U.S.), Kawamura Art Museum (Japan), in four major museums in China as well as China Ceramics Gallery at Zibo, Shandong, China.
Shin is the first one to apply familiar moulds into tea utensils. The first characteristic is the integration of traditional and modern pottery. The second characteristic is the application of flower blossoms and leaves in his works to sublimate religious mystique. The third characteristic is the aesthetic evolution of tea utensils through the integration of traditional and modern pottery techniques.
I would like to appraise that his works allow us to discover the energy a cup of tea can bring into our lives by stimulating various interests of life by using abundant leaves and flowers as motives for tea utensils or as additions on the handle. - Siyeong Lee, The chairman of the board at Korea Cultural Exchange Foundation
Most of his pottery works are tea kettles, teacups, teapots and tea bowls. The one that distinguishes his originality is the jade green tea kettle harmonizing lotus blossoms. He describes his tea bowls as ‘Alms bowl type’ tea bowls. This description is not just to modify the concept of ‘Macsabal’; it is to reveal his philosophy in his works.
In other words, if alms bowl can be interpreted as the rice bowls Buddhist monks used for religious mendicancy during their ascetic practice, the bowl reflects the spiritual life style of the monk through ’religious mendicancy’. Therefore, it can be found that his works are rooted from sacred; a classical text in pottery.
Experiences
* 1983~1995 - 17 Private & Invitation Exhibits
* 1996 - Korean Traditional Pottery Mega-exhibition (Yokohama Trade Fair, Japan)
* 1996 - '96 Invitation Exhibition of '96 Seoul International Tea Culture Conference (Sejong Culture Center)
* 1997 - The Commemorative Exhibition of the First Anniversary of the opening of Immigration History Memorial Museum by Radio Korean (L.A)
* 1997 - The Commemorative Exhibition of 400 Years of Ceramic Culture Exchange Between Korea and Japan (Fukuoka, Japan)
* 1998 - 21C Korea-Japan Future Planning Forum (Sapporo International Exchange Plaza)
* 1998 - Tokyo Modern Art Center Invitational Exhibition (Tokyo, Japan)
* 1998 - Spirit of Korean Ceramic Artist Exhibition (Seong-gok Art Museum)
* 1999 - Commemorative Exhibition of Winning the Outstanding Korean Ceramic Formational Artists Award (Gasan Gallery, Korea)
* 1999 - Hyun Chul Shin Tea Utensils Invitation Exhibition (Kawamura Memorial Museum of Art, Chiba, Japan)
* 2001 - Korea/China Tea Utensils & Pottery Masterpiece Exhibition (Shanghai, China)
* 2001 - Grand Prix at Yixing International Ceramic Pottery Contest (Yixing, China)
* 2001 - Invited to World Ceramic Pottery Biennale Workshop
* 2004, 2006 - Yeon-Pa Hyun Choul Shin Tea Utensils New Design Fair (Hangaram Museum of Arts, Seoul Arts Center)
* 2005 - Yeon-Pa Hyun Choul Shin Tea Utensils Invitation Exhibition (Schneider Gallery, Munich, Germany)
* 2006 - Korea/China Art & Pottery International Exchange Exhibition (Busan Museum of Art)
* 2007 - Pottery Section Invitation Exhibition (National Museum of Literature, Finland)
* 2007, 2011 - Yeon-Pa Hyun Choul Shin Potter New Design Fair (Daebaek Plaza)
* 2008 - Yeon-Pa Hyun Choul Shin Tea Utensils Invitation Exhibition, Korea Cultural Exchange Foundation (Korea Art Gallery)
* 2008 - Korea/China/Japan Tea Utensils Invitation Exhibition (Finland Design Museum)
* 2009 - Yeon-Pa Smile 2009’ Invitation Exhibition (Samsung Raemian Gallery)
* 2012 - Yeon-Pa Smile 2012 Moon Jar Invitation Exhibition (The YeongnamIlbo Gallery)
* 2012 - A Member of 16 Veteran Artists in The Essence of Korean Modern Potter Invitation Exhibition (Ceramics Cultural Foundation)
* 2012 - The Collaboration Between Ceramic Art and Media Art (Design Art Gallery, Seoul Arts Center)
* 2013 - Pottery Master Yeon-Pa Hyun Choul Shin Invitation Exhibition (KNN Art Hall)
* 2014 - Korea/China/Japan Pottery Exchange Exhibition (Chung Chu Museum, Hunan, China)
* 2014 - Yeon-Pa Hyun Choul Shin Pottery Arts Exhibition (Gallery 7, Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul Arts Center)
Work in Collections
* Seoul National Museum of Korea (Korea)
* San Francisco Museum of Natural History (United States)
* National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts, Seoul Arts Center (Korea)
* Kawamura Museum of Art, Chiba (Japan)
* O’Sulloc Tea Museum (Korea)
* China Ceramics Gallery, Zibo, Shandong (China)
* Busan Women’s College Tea Museum (Korea)
* Tea Leaves Museum, Hangzhou (China)
* Gimpo City Dado Museum (Korea)
* Yixing Museum of Jasaho Tea Pots (China)
* Seongbo Museum of the Temple Daeheungsa (Korea)
* The Museum of the Temple Bupmoonsa (China)
* Seongbo Museum of the Temple Woljungsa (Korea)
* World Tea Museum, Szechwan (China)

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