This double exhibition offers us a unique experience that brings together two major artistic practices for Korean artists, both in the tradition and in contemporary Korean art: ceramics and painting.

The shades of black and gray of Moon Min Soon's ceramics and the liveliness of the colors of Kim Sun Mi's canvases are associated in a dialogue carried by a strong aesthetic tension. The one that forms between the flat frontality of the paintings and the multiple perspectives given by the volume works presented as an installation. Here, "tension" does not mean "confrontation". On the contrary, it signifies the force of balance that allows the harmony of this exhibition to be established.

It is a specificity of Korean art to contain, as much as to transcend, the primordial elements of a universe as it is conceived in Art. They are essential to artistic creation. They are the material for the representation and the very incarnation of what the artists express.

For the ceramicist Moon Min Soon, the unique firing technique of her work is a way of capturing the spirit of a particularly evocative moment. That of the festivities of the first full moon of the year (Daeboreum, 대보름) during which the fire, and especially the smoke that emanates from it, regenerates the reborn star. Thus, in a gesture almost contradictory to the classical technique, Moon Min Soon “marks” the stoneware with the black smoke of the kiln. Which is also, in essence, that of the Korean rite of the new year, frozen and signified in the finished work. This mark of fire forms a motif recalling the opposition of light and darkness. The very form of Moon Min Soon’s pieces are an evocation of the decor of Korean nature: high mountains, suspended rocks, stones in the riverbeds, moon lighting up the sky, represented in the shape of the “moon” jars so typically Korean. Without glaze or covering, it is a whole poetic thought that can be read, inscribed in a ceramic with a delicate touch and subtle hues.

In a complementary spirit, the works of Kim Sun Mi and Moon Min Soon highlight the two fundamental principles of the universe: 음 (Eum) and 양 (Yang). These opposing but interdependent forces are found here in a harmony deeply rooted in the essence of life.

Moon Min Soon's work is part of the 음 (Eum) energy, like that of the moon that gently lights up the night. The darkness and subtle nuances of her ceramics, marked by the smoke of the fire, recall introspection, mystery and receptivity. Her forms, inspired by the mountains, rivers and Korean landscapes, translate a meditative serenity anchored in nature and in the passage of time.

In contrast, Kim Sun Mi’s paintings embody the energy 양 (Yang), that of the sun, vibrant, lively and full of vitality. Her bright colours and palpable textures convey the warmth, movement and pulsation of life. Each painting is a celebration of the living, an evocation of the force that animates the world.

What makes this exhibition so unique is precisely this encounter between 음 (Eum) and 양 (Yang). It is not an opposition, but a harmonious dance where each work finds its place and resonance in the other. Together, they form a complete and balanced vision of life, where introspection and vital momentum respond to each other to create a universe that is both soothing and vibrant.

Thus, this essential harmony goes beyond appearances to offer an authentic and profoundly human experience, where the balance of opposites becomes a source of beauty and reflection.

The pieces assembled - better than "gathered" - in this exhibition thus allow us to appreciate the reality and the presence of a very personal universe. That of two Korean artists who, beyond a beauty and a great plastic perfection, make possible the concrete experience. Which is authenticity beyond appearances.

Arnaud Pagnier, Magna Gallery Paris