Yookyoung Yong Ceramic

Vancouver, BC

I discovered clay completely by chance back in 2009, when I was exploring my new city, Vancouver. By chance, when out on a walk, I passed by a small studio offering classes in pottery.

In the beginning, it was mostly out of curiosity and excitement of learning something new. I was happy to watch a lump of dirt being transformed and reshaped on the wheel in front of me and at the end of the class, a gorgeous vessel with individuality and life of its own had appeared. It blew my mind away. I was completely, hopelessly hooked and spent the next 3 at that small studio, learning and creating.

At the heart of my designs lies an idea, conveyed by shape, form, and contour with a quiet color. The only shade being considered is that produced by the object itself. Achromatic shades of light and it’s absence. The contour reveals itself by the presence and absence of material, both of equal importance.

Our everyday life is a compound of private, social and political events. Some are insignificant; some are hard to shake off, leaving a deep mark. Consciously and subconsciously I draw my inspiration from those events and channel them into my work. My work is my way to connect with the world. My language is clay. I create words on the potters’ wheel and then combine and shape my sentences by hand.

I grew up i South Korea, a country still reeling from war. After getting my BA in Buddhism, I spent as much time as possible traveling and ended up living for more than a decade in Europe. All this has also inspired me to create simple and quiet forms in clay.