My practice begins with an exploration of difference, relationships and coexistence, shaped by my experience of living between cultures.
Originally from South Korea and now based in Lancashire, UK, I am interested in how identities are formed, negotiated and transformed through encounters with unfamiliar places, materials and ways of being. These experiences have led me to consider how distinct elements can come together without losing their individual characteristics.
The traditional Korean moon jar has become a central form in my practice. Historically made by joining two separately thrown hemispheres, the vessel embodies a subtle tension between unity and difference. Its imperfect symmetry, visible seam and organic form offer a sculptural language through which I explore connection, boundaries and the delicate balance of coexistence.
Working primarily with clay and the potter's wheel, I approach ceramics as a medium for contemporary sculptural enquiry rather than solely as a functional or decorative tradition. The physical processes of making — repetition, pressure, joining and transformation — are integral to the conceptual development of my work.
More recently, my investigation has expanded beyond form into material, surface and colour. Through the unpredictable interactions of clay, glaze and fire, I explore how materials influence one another, sometimes producing unexpected changes that cannot be entirely controlled.
At the heart of my practice is an ongoing interest in how difference can be sustained within connection, and how transformation emerges through the encounter between distinct identities, materials and environments.
Biography
Hyomin Hwang is a South Korean artist based in Lancashire, UK. She holds an MFA in Ceramic Art from Kookmin University in Seoul.
Her practice explores identity, difference, relationships and coexistence through a material-led approach to contemporary sculpture. Drawing on her personal experiences of migration and cultural displacement, she reinterprets the traditional Korean moon jar as both a sculptural and conceptual form, examining how distinct elements come together while retaining their individual characteristics.
After a period away from her artistic practice, Hwang resumed her work in the UK through the AA2A (Artists Access to Art Colleges) residency at the University of Lancashire in 2025–26. She was subsequently awarded a Fellowship at the University of Lancashire for 2026–27, where she continues to develop her artistic practice and research.
Her recent work extends her exploration of form into material, surface and colour, with a particular focus on the dual nature of boundaries and connections. She considers the points at which different elements meet as sites of both separation and connection, exploring the relationships and possibilities for coexistence that emerge between them. Through the unpredictable interactions of clay, glaze and fire, she investigates processes of change and transformation, gradually extending her practice into sculpture and spatial installation.
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EDUCATION
2009 M.F.A. in Ceramic Art, Graduate School, Kookmin University, Seoul, South Korea
2006 B.F.A. in Ceramic Craft, College of Art & Design, Konkuk University
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2026 AA2A 30th Anniversary Exhibition, CASC, University of Chester - three works selected
2026 UCLAY Exhibition, University of Lancashire
2019 Lancashire Open Exhibition 2019, The Chapel Gallery - multiple works selected
2010 Finding Alice, Solo Exhibition, Gallery Jireh, Paju Heyri Art Valley, South Korea - awarded following the Young Korean Artists exhibition 2010 Young Korean Artists, Group Exhibition, Gallery Jireh, South Korea - selected artist
2009 M.F.A. Graduation Exhibition in Ceramic Art, Polarization, Design Gallery, Kookmin University, Seoul, South Korea 2008 SSAF 2008 Seoul-Forchheim Contemporary Art, Design & Crafts, Galerie Artodrome, Forchheim, Germany
2008 SSAF 2008 Seoul-Forchheim Contemporary Art, Design & Crafts, Ho Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
2008 Young Start, Young Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
2008 The Romance of Three Kingdoms: China, Japan, South Korea - New Century Contemporary Pottery Art Exhibition, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China
2008 Incheon Ceramic Art Festival, Gaon Gallery, Incheon Educational and Cultural Center for Students, Incheon, South Korea
2008 Gift of May, Gana Art Center, Seoul, South Korea
2008 Gyeonggi International Ceramic Fair, KINTEX, Ilsan, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea 2008 Spring Gift Show, Sungbo Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
2007 Ceramic Story (Cassiopeia), Korea Craft & Design Foundation, Seoul, South Korea 2007 Tableware in April, Gana Art Space, Seoul, South Korea
2006 B.F.A. Graduation Exhibition, College of Art & Design, Konkuk University, LG Art Centre, Seoul, South Korea
RESIDENCIES & AWARDS
2026–2027 Fellowship Award, University of Lancashire, Preston, UK 2025-2026 AA2A Artist Residency, University of Lancashire, Preston, UK
2010 Winner, Young Korean Artists, Gallery Jireh, South Korea
2008 Third Prize, Gyeonggi International Ceramic Fair, KINTEX, South Korea
2008 Emerging Artist Prize, Young Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
2008 Participation Prize, Incheon Ceramic Art Festival, Incheon Educational and Cultural Center for Students, Gaon Gallery, South Korea