Manufactory
Saeam Kwon
About the item: Saeam Kwon’s Gaiwan is a tea set used in China for the traditional Gong Fu Cha tea ceremony. It is approximately 6 cm tall and has a diameter of approximately 8.5 cm. The set consists of a cup with a lid; it is thrown from nearly black stoneware clay and coated inside and out with a gray-teal glaze, though the delicate glaze still allows the rough and highly expressive surface to shine through. Saeam’s pieces are thin-walled and thrown to minimize weight. Combined with the intriguing surfaces, this results in a very clean and graceful form. The mug has a capacity of approximately 100 ml. The classic shape, crafted from fine stoneware, combines minimalist design with traditional Korean influences. Beautiful!
Production Process: Saeam creates her pieces from black stoneware clay, primarily on the potter’s wheel. The clay used has a high fireclay content and is coarse in texture. The dark anthracite to black hue of the clay comes from iron and manganese oxides present in the clay. For her glazed pieces, Saeam uses one of her five “signature” glazes, which she makes herself and blends as needed. Some pieces are glazed only on the inside and have a semi-gloss finish to enhance their functionality as tableware. The pieces are fired in an electric kiln using an oxidation firing process in Saeam’s studio. Each piece is fired twice: first at 950 °C and then again at 1250 °C. The unglazed pieces are fired at high temperatures until the clay body is completely vitrified. This results in a dense, non-porous surface that is food-safe. Even without glaze, the vessels remain durable and hygienic for everyday use.
You can also find more information about Saeam, its history, and how it operates here on the blog.
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Saeam Kwon was born in a small town in Taebaek, Korea, and started working with clay in 2009. Since then, she has focused on making fine stoneware that combines minimalist design with traditional Korean influences. She moved to Berlin in 2017 and has been working full-time as a ceramicist ever since. All her works are created in her studio in Berlin-Friedrichshain.
Her works are made of rough, dark, muted clay, the appearance of which is contrasted by refined details and minimal weight. She turns the coarse fireclay on the wheel, which is rarely done in the ceramic trade, as it is only suitable for this to a limited extent due to its firm and rough properties. Nevertheless, the artist accepts the difficult conditions and rough hands in order to create her special ceramics.
Saeam writes about the process of creating her ceramic objects:
"I rarely start with a fixed design, but have a rough idea. I prefer to work directly at the potter's wheel and let the shape develop in my hands. The final design is always created by making several versions and choosing the best one. Ceramics are unpredictable, sometimes you need dozens, even hundreds of tests. Even if I have a perfect image in my head, I don't know if it's possible until I try it out."
You can find out more about Saeam Kwon and her way of working in our Blog.