GOLFZON Foundation Exhibits Winning Works of the 5th ‘Cheolhwa Buncheong Ware Becomes an Industry’… Continuing Its Commitment to Preserving and Industrializing Traditional Culture

• 11/13 (Thu)–11/19 (Wed), exhibition of the award-winning works of the 5th ‘Cheolhwa Buncheong Ware Becomes an Industry’ competition at GOLFZON Joymaru
• A total of 39 works on display, including the grand prize winner ‘Falling Blossoms,’ the top award winners ‘Stones’ and ‘Cheolhwa Deombeong Fish-Pattern Tea Set’

The GOLFZON Foundation (Chairman Kim Young-chan) announced on the 14th that it will hold an exhibition of the award-winning works and invited artists’ works of the 5th ‘Cheolhwa Buncheong Ware Becomes an Industry’ competition on the first floor of GOLFZON Joymaru in Daejeon from November 13 to November 19.

The ‘Cheolhwa Buncheong Ware Becomes an Industry’ competition has been held for the fifth time to showcase the artistic value of cheolhwa buncheong ware, one of Korea’s three great ceramics, and to lay the groundwork for the revival of traditional culture.

Since last year, the GOLFZON Foundation has gone beyond sponsorship to serve as the host and organizer, playing a pivotal role in promoting the modern succession and cultural significance of cheolhwa buncheong ware.

This competition was conducted under the theme of tableware and teapot sets that apply the motifs of cheolhwa buncheong ware. With the goal of carrying on the historical value of cheolhwa buncheong ware—which held outstanding value as practical pottery—and developing it into a trend equipped with modern sensibility and practicality to industrialize it, the works were judged fairly according to criteria such as the representativeness of cheolhwa buncheong ware, its material characteristics, and aesthetic completeness.

The awards ceremony, held on the 13th at the Champions Hall of GOLFZON Joymaru, was attended by some 300 people, including event officials and award recipients such as Kim Young-chan, chairman of the GOLFZON Foundation; Byun Pyeong-seop, chairman of the Gyeryongsan Cheolhwa Buncheong Ware Research Institute; Song Mu-gyeong, deputy mayor of Gongju; and Park Du-yong, political affairs secretary to the mayor of Daejeon, who gathered to celebrate the occasion.

A total of 124 works were submitted, of which 88 were selected as award winners. The grand prize, the prestigious Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award, went to artist Park Yeon-tae’s ‘Falling Blossoms.’ The top awards went to artist Shin Young-hyun’s ‘Stones’ and artist Na Yong-hwan’s ‘Cheolhwa Deombeong Fish-Pattern Tea Set.’

Park Yeon-tae, the grand prize winner, said, “I am grateful to those who hosted the competition to preserve the tradition of ceramic art, and I feel honored to have produced this meaningful achievement at such a significant event highlighting the unique beauty of cheolhwa buncheong ware.”

The exhibition features a total of 39 works, including 33 award-winning works from the competition as well as the industrialized works of invited artists and of Lee Mun-hyun, the 2024 recipient of the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award.

Since 2013, the GOLFZON Foundation has continuously carried out activities to globalize the tradition of cheolhwa buncheong ware and promote the excellence of Korean ceramics. Through domestic and international academic approaches, it published a white paper systematically documenting the history and artistic value of cheolhwa buncheong ware, and through a cheolhwa buncheong ware collaboration residency program, it attempted modern applications and creative reinterpretations of cheolhwa buncheong ware. It has also widely promoted the aesthetic value and cultural significance of cheolhwa buncheong ware through numerous exhibitions at home and abroad.

Kim Young-chan, chairman of the GOLFZON Foundation, said, “The GOLFZON Foundation supports a variety of artistic activities with a sense of mission to preserve the historical and cultural value of cheolhwa buncheong ware,” adding, “I express my respect and gratitude to all the ceramic artists who have shown their interest in and commitment to the development of traditional art, and we will continue to carry out meaningful activities through collaboration with cultural and artistic figures going forward.”