untitled with lee ufan 2009 white porcelain plate series
12 1/2 x 1 3/4 inches.

RH Gallery is pleased to present Pure Clay: Young Sook Park and Lee Ufan and Contemporary Clay, a group exhibition of sculptures in clay with Kathy Butterly, Nicole Cherubini, Julia Chiang, Naoki Koide, Jeff Koons, Klara Kristalova, Erin McCutcheon, John O’Reilly, Joyce Robins, Arlene Shechet, Shinique Smith, Paul Swenbeck and Ai Wei Wei.

Young Sook Park was born in 1947 in Kyungju, South Korea. Her versatility and precision reflect long-lost artistic traditions from the Chosun Dynasty infused with a contemporary sensibility. Park’s work is represented in prestigious collections around the world including the British Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum and Her Royal Highness, the Queen of England.

Lee Ufan’s upcoming retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum, Lee Ufan: Making Infinity, recognizes Lee as “a historical figure and contemporary master.” Lee came to prominence in the late 1960s as one of the leaders of the avant-garde Mono-ha group (Object School). Lee’s struggle for a purification of objects is perhaps what attracted him to the work of Young Sook Park and led to an ongoing collaboration.

Young Sook Park and Lee Ufan first met in 1979 at Park’s gallery in Insadong, Seoul. United by a shared aesthetic rooted in the belief that there is great complexity in simplicity, their initial collaboration produced a minimalist cobalt blue brushstroke that was applied to a series of dinnerware including plates, bowls, tea pots, tea cups and platters. Their collaboration led to terracotta reliefs and large painted plates among other objects. Pure Clay will show these collaborative works for the first time in New York alongside a selection of Young Sook Park and Lee Ufan’s work.

In an adjacent exhibition room, RH Gallery presents Contemporary Clay, a group exhibition presenting a selection of recent sculpture by a diverse group of contemporary artists. Clay seems to inherently contain a certain presence that is both fragile and powerful.

Arlene Shechet references the historical form of the Moon Jar, conceived during in Korea during the Chosun Dynasty. Kathy Butterly’s abstract sculptures cull sources from Asian, Victorian, modern and contemporary cultural relics. Nicole Cherubini’s boxes simultaneously reference Rauschenberg’s cardboard pieces and Gluts while also recalling Eva Hesse’s organic forms. Folktales and fairy tales enter into Klara Kristalova and Paul Swenbeck’s mythical creatures. Contemporary Clay is a world unto its own filled with rich histories, playful interludes and visceral forms.

June 29 – August 20, 2011
Opening Reception: June 28 | 6-8pm
RH gallery: 137 Duane Street New York | Tuesday – Saturday | 11am-7pm