Talking about his work on show with Cavaliero Finn, Jaejun said:
"I actually had hesitated to make moon jars for many years as I believed the sensibility of my work is aimed at a much more modern taste. As a Korean potter, I felt like there were many rules for moon jar-making.
"The moon jars we treasure most, are all from hundreds of years ago and many makers still want to get close to them. I love them, too, but I didn't want my work to be close to the old moon jars. So, I borrowed the name and the feeling of it to make my own one.
"The plan for making moon jars started through exploration of my identity. When I first tried a moon jar in 2019, Korean culture was in its early stage of being recognised world wide, but most people still had very limited experiences of it. As a Korean artist working in the UK, drawing upon the moon jar form and reinterpretating it as a symbolic vessel was pretty essential.
"When I came to the UK, I tried to explain my identity as a Korean first rather than show my own character. In my case, this tendency was strongly related to the medium I use. I thought my porcelain should be understood with the knowledge of Korean porcelain history, as I am in that context and working with that history.
"Through making moon jars, I hoped people would get interested in Korean porcelain history as well as my work. There were still many concerns of how I would transform the traditional moon jar to the modern moon jar, but when I started to draw the form it was totally different. From the prejudice and restrictions, I found infinite possibilities. In the hearts of Korean potters, they all have their own images of moon jars and now I think I have my own one. It will be the future treasure made in the UK in the 21st Century and I hope it can leave the same legacy as the much loved moon jar from the Joseon Dynasty (Former country of Korea)."
Jaejun Lee in his studio in Cardiff
