Moon Jar; An Axis is on view at Gallery LNL and the Korean Cultural Centre, Sydney
June 12 – August 21, 2026, Korean Cultural Centre Australia
June 12 – July 11, 2026, Gallery LNL
Gallery LNL is delighted to present Moon Jar; An Axis, a group exhibition presented in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Centre AU. This exhibition explores Korean and Australian artists’ engagement with the Moon Jar together with those forms it brings forth, like the moon. The Moon Jar is widely regarded as an emblem of Korean aesthetic sensibilities, yet it is also the site of a continual reimagining across media by Korea’s contemporary artists. Axis establishes a cross-cultural discourse between Korean and Australian artists, examining at once the continuity of traditional practice, as well as the transformation which results from resituating the Moon Jar within a cultural context far removed from its historical beginnings.
Artists: Les Blakebrough, Choi Youngwook, Kwirak Choung, Kirsten Coelho, Janet Dawson, Rachel Ellis, Neville French, Shannon Garson, Ryan Hancock, Kang Minsoo, Shane Kent, Bronwyn Kemp, Kim Syyoung, Kim Yikyung, Hendrik Kolenberg, Koo Bohnchang, Lee Hunchung, Lee Jisook, Kevin Lincoln, Sassy Park, Park Yeontae, Simon Reece, Evan Salmon, Kat Shapiro Wood, Vipoo Srivilasa, Alexandra Standen, Seo Kwangsoo, Toni Warburton, Gerry Wedd, Maryanne Wick
The Moon Jar
The simple appearance of the Moon Jar, as a large, undecorated white porcelain vessel, belies the rigorous technical process of its making. Two bowl-shaped halves are thrown separately and joined at the rims, leaving a distinct crease around the middle. During firing, variables such as the vessel’s placement in the kiln and the direction of heat produce slight distortions: gentle asymmetries, soft humps and uneven curves which give each jar its distinct, organic character. After initial bisque firing, the vessel is coated with a transparent or milky-white glaze and refired, with no added decorations.
Origins
Originating from the Joseon dynasty, the Moon Jar is a fascinating anomaly in East Asian art, for being a form entirely unique to the Korean peninsula. Archaeological findings show that production began in the official royal kilns (bunwon) of Gwangju from the early 1600s, growing in popularity through the early 1700s. For less than two centuries, it was categorised under the broader term baekja daeho (백자대호, “large porcelain jar”), and produced for both ceremonial and functional purposes, such as for the storage of grain and oil. By the late 18th century, however, production had ceased for reasons that remain unknown, and remained comparatively obscure until the mid-twentieth century.
Contemporary Currents
The Moon Jar is today widely regarded as an emblem of Korean aesthetic sensibilities par excellence, continuing to be extensively reimagined across media by Korean artists. In recent years, the Moon Jar has drawn sustained international attention; in Australia, for instance, a notable number of artists across mediums have engaged the form as a recurring motif within their respective practices. This exhibition showcases works by Australian artists responding to a challenge as open as it is exacting: to find their own way to the moon jar. Rather than being asked to replicate or defer, these artists were invited to bring their own practices into orbit with a form which, for many of them, is newly encountered. The exhibition also gathers works which resonate less with the overt form of the moon jar, so much as that form’s own hidden inspirations; from responses to the moon itself, to roundness, to the relationship between vessel and void. What results is less an academic survey of influences, and more of a dynamic record, a live encounter in-between two distinct cultures.
About Gallery LNL
Gallery LNL is a contemporary gallery in Sydney, Australia. Located in King Street, Newtown since 1990, the gallery has cultivated a singular relationship with the ceramic medium, playing a pivotal role in fostering the careers of Australia’s preeminent ceramicists from their early years to international recognition. Each successive director of LNL has uniquely entered leadership with a foundation in artistic practice, bringing an intimate understanding of the creative process to the gallery’s curatorial and commercial vision. Under the directorship of Jin Young Lee since 2023, LNL continues to operate with an artist-led vision that aims to provide artists across all disciplines with the institutional support and curatorial framework necessary to expand the scope and impact of their practice.
Contact
info@gallerylnl.com.au
Gallery LNL
49 – 51 King St
Newtown NSW 2042
Australia
Installation views by Docqment
Captions
- Alexandra Standen, Milky Moon, 2026, Hand build porcelain, glazed, 41 x 39 x 39 cm, Photo by Docqment
- Kirsten Coelho, You Saw Me Standing Alone, 2026, porcelain satin glaze, 17.5 x 29 x 26.5 cm, Courtesy of the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf, Sydney, Melbourne, Singapore and Philip Bacon Galleries, Brisbane
- Shane Kent, Loo-Errn Moon, Morning, 2026, porcelain, ceramic stain and glaze, 38.5 x 39.5 x 39.5 cm
- Bronwyn Kemp, Many moons have passed, 2026, stoneware clays 27 x 28 x 28 cm, Photo by Docqment
- Toni Warburton, Enigma of the Hemispheres, 2026, press moulded raku clay engobes, sgraffito and glazes, 34 x 28 x 23 cm, Photo by Docqment
- Gerry Wedd, Swimmer, 2026, porcelain with cobalt underglaze, 20 x 18 x 18 cm, Photo by Docqment
- Kat Shapiro Wood, Moon Skin (luminous), 2026, black stoneware and engobe, liquid quartz, 22.5 x 22.5 x 22.5 cm, Courtesy of the artist and Chalk Horse Gallery
- Kim Syyoung, Planet TM_5, 2016, 1300°c reduction firing, 38 x 30 x 30 cm, Photo by Doqment
- Kim Yikyung, Moon Jar, 2025, porcelain with clear glaze, 34 x 34 x 34 cm, Photo by Docqment
- Sassy Park, Human Rites, 2026, raku with porcelain slip and glaze, 22 x 22 x 22 cm, Photo_ Karl Schwerdtfeger
