Choi Young-Wook (b. 1964) graduated from Hongik University in Seoul with a B.F.A. in Painting and a M.F.A. Over the past decade, Choi has devoted his efforts to mastering the moon jar as an art form. The artist recalls from his past when he was still trying to find his personal style and way of expression, he happened to come across a Joseon-era moon jar at a museum during his travels in Europe and the US. It was a chance encounter that left a formidable yet vulnerable impression on him, inspiring his ensuing projects of researching, collecting, and painting these white porcelain vessels. 

Choi aims to visualize memories into images, thus his works become a medium of communication, mostly to convey the stories and recollections of his own life. However, there are more than just elements of the artist himself in his works - he believes that viewers of his paintings would be reminded of their own memories, thereby forming a connection between the artist’s and the viewers’ memories. Choi hopes his works may facilitate a process of self-reflection and discovery for the beholder, who may in turn develop a heightened awareness of relationships and communication with others. While his technique produces a strikingly lifelike effect on his subject matter, Choi’s ultimate objective is not to merely replicate the image of the porcelain vessel. His technique and style has grown into one that connects East Asian tradition with the expressive methods of Western modern painting; under Choi’s brush, the historic Joseon moon jar transcends space and time to become modern and pertinent to us once again. Choi’s works are featured in both private collections and museums, including the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Gyeonggi Museum of Contemporary Art among others.

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