Slab Built FormsSam Chung

Sam ChungCeramics-

Professor at Arizona State University

Born 1970Born in

Minnesota

Korean culture influences his work

Today, the environment influences his work

Cloud Vase 2011

Cloud Vase 2012

Cloud bottle

How does he make them?

Draw a design

Cut a pattern

Make sure all the parts fit!

Artist's Statement

My work is a continuous investigation of functional pottery form and the multiple layers of information that it can contain. I am interested in a pot’s ability to contain not only physical matter, but also elements of history, memory, familiarity, and suggestion. My desire is to create pottery that reflects preciousness without aloofness. The historical pots from China, Korea, and England have been some of my favorite and possess eclectic attributes of formality, humor, animation, and elegance. These are all qualities that I hope to impart in my work.

I also have a strong reverence for architectural form, both old and new, in its concern for geometry, space, and containment. Many of my forms come from a memory of places, the structures built there, and their prevailing sensibilities. Others are inspired by elements of contemporary design, both mundane and exotic, and how they affect the way we consider using handmade pottery today. Ultimately, I want my work to incite curiosity through simultaneous perceptions of clear familiarity and vague reminiscence.