Throughout the dark exhibition room at the Denver Art Museum stands several big, white jars. They鈥檙e about the size of someone鈥檚 head, if not bigger, and each one is its own unique shade of white glazing with speckles. They鈥檙e called moon jars 鈥� symbolic of their full, globular shape.
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鈥淣o jar is perfectly spherical,鈥� Hyonjeong Kim Han, who oversees the museum鈥檚 Asian art collection and is the co-curator of the exhibit, said. 鈥淎nd no two jars (are) alike, like human being(s)...we have two eyes, one nose, one mouth, but yeah, very different.鈥�
These jars are the pearls of the museum鈥檚 latest exhibit, . It features 12 moon jars, alluding to the number of full moons in a year. They got the name 鈥渕oon jar鈥� in the mid-20th Century, mostly for their shape and color but also due to the significance of the moon in Korean culture.
While artists still make moon jars today, there are very few originals from 17th and 18th Century Korea. These vases were created for the elite, and they were only produced for a short period of time 鈥� around 150 years. They were also difficult to make due to their size.
鈥淢oon jars in the past were made in two parts, the upper and lower half of the body, creating a seam-like waistline in the middle,鈥� Han said. 鈥淎nd variation in clay glaze and firing environment resulted in different hues of white.鈥�
Han shared how one artist in the exhibition, Dong Sik Lee, says he can only fire 11 jars at one time, and only a couple are museum quality.
鈥淭hink about right now, it's (the) 21st Century, but think about (the) 18th Century,鈥� she said. 鈥�400 years ago, you know, the success rate would be really low.鈥�
Because of this, there are only around 40 of these jars in existence worldwide, and only seven are registered as national treasures in Korea. Denver鈥檚 exhibit has six jars from the 18th Century 鈥� two of which are national treasures. The other six are contemporary jars.
鈥淚 talked with my friends in Korea and they were so surprised, even in Korea, they鈥檇 never seen two national treasures (at) one time and six 18th-century moon jars at one space,鈥� Han said.
Han has thought about doing this exhibit for more than a decade, especially since the Asian community in Denver is growing. She used the words of Korean-American artist YoungJune P. Lew to describe her mixed feelings about the jars.
鈥淪he (Lew) said that moon jars, or objects in (a) museum, is like her, out of context, coming to a foreign country, and never assimilated, but actually kind of like assimilated too,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 felt like that, you know, in between places, in between time.鈥�
Han said she wants people to recognize there鈥檚 more to Korea than what鈥檚 popular or well-known today.
鈥淢ostly, I want visitors to recognize and appreciate that there are various beautiful artworks pre-20th century, before K-Pop or (the) Korean War,鈥� she said. 鈥淎sia is the largest continent in the world, and people kind of think that it's one culture, but it's not. It's hundreds of culture(s).鈥�
The exhibit also features some paintings, a video of an artist making a moon jar as well as a reflection space, where visitors can actually touch and feel one of the jars.
Another artist in the exhibition, the late Whanki Kim, viewed touching the jar as an important act of understanding it and the artist.
鈥淥ur tranquil (moon) jar contains movement and speed,鈥� Kim said, which was later quoted in the museum鈥檚 press release. 鈥淭hough made of cold porcelain, its flesh is warm.鈥�
Han said by touching the jar, one can not only trace the potter鈥檚 wheel movement but feel how the potter is feeling. She hopes visitors have an inner dialogue with the jars and can relate to them personally.
鈥淎re you the jar (that鈥檚) kind of like perfect form with a lot of stain?鈥� she said. 鈥淎re you a little bit tilted, but having kind of like (a) generous mind?鈥�
In conjunction with the Denver Art Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver also opened an exhibition called , which runs through May 4. It features sculptures, paintings, textiles and more from Korean artist Suki Seokyeong Kang.
Lunar Phases: Korean Moon Jars will be on display through June 8. The exhibition is included in general admission.
