99 Bowls – One Cosmos

Within the foyer space of the Museum of East Asian Art, architecture, nature, and contemporary art converge. Ninety-nine handcrafted bowls by internationally renowned ceramicist Young-Jae Lee (*1951) enter into dynamic dialogue with their surroundings.

The small-sized vessels are reduced in form and characterized by subtly gradient color palettes. Taken as a whole, they embody more than a uniform ensemble: upon closer inspection, they reveal distinct material textures, unique applications of the glaze, and an almost invisible craqelure, whose finely patterned mesh permeates the surfaces.

The objects—viewed individually or as a group—condense the viewer's perspective. They invite contemplation and create an exchange of gazes between art installation and museum architecture, Japanese interior garden and outside park landscape. Natural processes such as daylight, shadow, weather, and season shape the individual perception of the Gesamtkunstwerk, as one cosmos.

South Korean-born Young-Jae Lee has directed the Keramische Werkstatt Margaretenhöhe in Essen since 1987, which, founded in 1924, stands in the modern Bauhaus tradition. For over five decades, Lee's career has transcended cultural boundaries in an unprecedented way, demonstrating the continuous synthesis of traditional craftsmanship and creative pioneering spirit.

Supported by

Orientstiftung zur Förderung der Ostasiatischen Kunst
Fördererkreis des Museums für Ostasiatische Kunst Köln