It could not be but destiny for a homo faber to find joy in creating with his hands. There are around three thousand crafts shows that display such works in the US. The 33rd Annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show is regarded as one of the two major craft shows along with the Smithsonian Museum of Art Craft Show. And Korea has been invited to this event from the 11th to the 15th, held in the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Since the year 2001, guest nations were invited, and in this event, Korean Craft and Design Foundation participated with twenty six Korean artists. However, quite an extraordinary event occurred this year. Before the opening, the Best Artist Award is nominated in the ten categories; most of the nominees being American. However, among the 221 participating artists, Kang Oong-gi(35) received the Excellence in Metal Award. It is the first ever award given to an invited artist, a foreigner. “I am asked where I mostly did my studies, but I have not studied abroad. At such moments, I am grateful to my teachers.” The judges ‘took note of the smooth, unique form of the tea pot’ and presented the $1000 prize money. S. Euna Yoo, of SEY Artnet, the coordinator for this event, conveyed the enthusiasm of the scene and said that “the host themselves were surprised, and the VIPs crowded around the artist Kang’s booth to congratulate and show interest.”

His work is a set of silver tea pot, made by battering on a lump of silver for as long as a year. Unlike most metalwork artists in Korea who create accessories or sculptures, Kang is unique in creating pots. “There is considerable difference in pots made by machine and those made by hands. Much more effort is put in the latter. I was grateful for the recognition given to the value of working; I envied the social circumstances that recognized it.” He emphasized that pots were the epitome of metalwork, embracing the principles of science and technology. “Form is not made for beauty. The height of mouth, the height of the pot, the width of the mouth, the location of the handle, and the height of the pot cover must all be considered. Otherwise, water would spill out of the pot. Though developed hundreds of years ago, the pot has much to develop as it is not so simple an object.”

Kang also discusses that he was glad to introduce Korea’s unique drinking culture. Wine decanters and sake pots are well known, but Korean wine and tea culture is relatively unknown. “After I was nominated for the award, many Asian art galleries have shown interest. Sake pot collectors also made inquiries. Pots and warmers were priced around $4,000-5,000; a pot and two cup sets priced $3,000-4,000, have been sold. The President of Philadelphia Museum of Art has also purchased an object to donate to the museum collection.

In addition, lacquer artist Chung, Hae-jo has been nominated as the ‘Best Korean Artist’ and his work has been purchased by the Women’s Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Overall, in this event, Korean artists have made sales over $200,000 in the course of five days. Ms. Yoo hints that “the foreign market has given Korean artist greater confidence and understanding.”

Kang, who studied in Seoul National University, obtaining a Masters degree in Art, is currently based in his studio in Gwangju, Gyeonggi province, and also lectures in Seoul National University and Konkuk University. He professes that “it is difficult for artists to be active only in Korea,” and hopes that “this award would act as a bridgehead for other young artist heading abroad.”