Steven Young Lee

At first glance, Steven Young Lee’s ceramics look old-fashioned and “standard”. However, upon closer inspection, the traditional techniques and color schemes that Lee uses are anything but traditional.

Vessels elegantly fold into each other. Pieces have “open cavities” signaling imperfections… and cracking the porcelain forms are just part of what Lee does so elegantly. Lee wants people to rethink ideas regarding what is beautiful and what is perfection.

The patterns are also traditional with a “spin”. In one vessel, dinosaurs clomp through traditional Asian landscapes. In another vessel, the “Trix” rabbit is a vital part of the design.

That, along with the deconstructed and fragmented pieces is what makes the pieces such imperfect perfection. As Lee says about his ceramics, “One of the questions I get asked the most often is did you mean to do this or did you not mean to do this? I think that that is very revealing.”

In college, Lee studied the rise and decline of porcelain manufacturing, the worldwide distribution of porcelain, and its origination in China and “immigration’ to Europe.

Lee also traveled to Jingdezhen, China in 2004 for a fellowship at the Sanboa Ceramic Art Institute. At this reputed birthplace of porcelain, Lee learned the rigorous training and pursuit of “perfects” from local potters.

Lee also traveled to South Korean where ceramics’ traditions were not based entirely on refinement. The frequent blue and white color scheme that Lee uses is a common theme for these potters. Lee often draws inspiration from Asia, as evident in his frequent use of blue and white colors. And finally, Lee was drawn to the “buncheong” ware tradition of Korea, which uses copper inlay and white slip glazing.

About his work Lee says, “One of the things that I think is simplest is using something that is so recognizable and familiar as a ceramic vessel or pottery form. These are things that people universally understand or know what it represents.”