Meet Yeawon Lee | Ceramic artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yeawon Lee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yeawon, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
In my practice, I seek to evoke the timeless elegance of the celadon glaze found in traditional Goryeo ceramics, reimagining it through the application of silver overlay to introduce a contemporary sensibility. The silver overlay functions as a visual mediator between tradition and modernity, offering an ongoing dialogue that reshapes how celadon can be perceived and understood today. Drawing inspiration from my research into Roman glass, I incorporate goblet-like forms into my teacups, reflecting my broader interest in reinterpreting historical artifacts from both Eastern and Western cultures.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My work explores the timeless beauty of Korean celadon by combining its traditional forms and subtle bisaek glaze with contemporary expressions like silver overlay. This technique allows me to bridge past and present, creating objects that are both functional and emotionally resonant.

What sets my practice apart is a cross-cultural approach—I draw inspiration from artifacts like Roman glass and reinterpret them through a modern lens. This results in pieces that feel both familiar and fresh, rooted in history yet relevant to today’s lifestyle.

The journey hasn’t been easy. Running a one-person studio comes with many challenges, but through them, I’ve learned resilience and the value of staying true to my voice. More than just making beautiful objects, I aim to create quiet moments of connection—artworks that live with people and become part of their everyday rituals.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my foreign friend visits Seoul, I would like to recommend the NOSTALGIA Hanok Hotel in Bukchon Hanok Village. It is a detached hotel where you can feel the traditional Korean architecture and quiet atmosphere, and unfortunately, I have not stayed yet, but my products are located in the craft shop of the hotel, so I felt that it was a very good hotel every time I visited it. Near Bukchon, there is Gyeongbokgung Palace, Korea’s most famous palace, and there are many good museums and galleries, so it is definitely a favorite neighborhood for those who are interested in culture and art.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
As I mainly work on getting references from traditional Korean ceramic artifacts, I think the people who are most grateful to me and want to take a shout out are the ancestors who have been working on ceramics on this Korean land for a long time. I will pick them as the group I want to take the shout out the most because the work and records of many ancestors have been accumulated, and it has been the hardest root of my work.

Website: https://www.instagram.com/yeramic.art

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yeramic.art