Kyungmin Park is a South Korean-born ceramic artist. Her work explores themes of introspection, diversity, societal expectations, and illuminating human connections across cultures and languages. After two decades in South Korea, she moved to the United States, seeking greater creative opportunities. Experiencing a new language and culture and the many challenges she faced as an immigrant made her realize that figurative sculpture is more than a personal passion. It is a powerful tool to communicate emotions, experiences, and ideas without the limitations that words and customs can impose.
Kyungmin earned her BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2008 and her MFA from the University of Georgia in 2012. She currently lives and works in Boston and is an Associate Professor at Endicott College in Beverly, MA. She has conducted over 40 workshops and lectures at various art institutions.
Kyungmin was awarded the 2016 Emerging Artist of the Year from the National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts, the 2015 Emerging Artist Award by Ceramics Monthly Magazine, and the Matsutani (2014-2015) and Windgate (2015-2016) Fellowships while at the Archie Bray Foundation in MT. She has also participated in artist residencies at AIR Vallauris in France (2011 & 2022), Jingdezhen International Studio in China (2017), Red Lodge Clay Center (2018) in MT, and Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts (2016) in ME.
Park’s work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, most notably at the Aqua Art Miami Basel, SOFA Chicago, The Clay Studio in PA, Scripps College Ceramic Annual in CA, Penland School of Crafts in NC, Arrowmont School of Arts in TN, Fuller Craft Museum in MA, Museum of Arts and Science in GA, The Museum of Contemporary of Georgia, Canton Museum of Art in OH, Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art in AL along with a multitude of galleries, including Abel Contemporary, Abmeyer + Wood, Belger Arts Center, Cerbera, Companion, Duane Reed, Eutectic, Kolva-Sulivan, Lacoste, Leedy-Voulkos Art Center, Lillstreet Art Center, Morean Art Center, Signature galleries, to name a few.
Visit Kyungmin Park’s website and Instagram page.
Featured work
Selected works, 2018-2023
No matter where we are from or what languages we speak, we all have our own stories to tell. The more we can share, the more understanding and connected we all become, and the more we can overcome the barriers that divide us. I use figurative sculpture to narrate my personal journey and communicate emotions and experiences shared by people all over the world in a way that transcends language, cultural, racial, and political differences.
As an Immigrant, the experience of learning to speak, write, and adapt to new customs in the US reminded me of what it is like to be a child starting anew. This experience inspired my artistic vision, which explores the idea of regression to a childlike state of mind where we can freely create and embrace a new world without any restraints. This idea is mirrored in my ceramic sculptures, which feature a childlike appearance in adult bodies. The expressive facial features emerge as the most compelling storytelling elements, capturing the essence of human experiences. In many of my sculptures, the amorphous forms symbolize the childlike overflowing imagination, while the lines and colors on these forms represent the societal situations, environments, and expectations of adulthood.
Through my art, I provoke introspection and a deeper understanding of the complexities as well as commonalities embedded in the human experience. By sharing our unique stories and experiences, I imagine a world with a greater sense of connection and empathy.
