Woo Eun-ju's 'Distortion' wins grand prize at 2026 Gyeonggi Ceramic Biennale

Woo Eun-ju's artwork 'Distortion' has earned the grand prize at the 2026 Gyeonggi Ceramic Biennale's 'Beautiful Our Ceramics Competition.' The Korean Cultural Foundation announced the award on November 11.

Now in its seventh iteration, the competition serves as a key exhibition program for the Gyeonggi Ceramic Biennale. It aims to preserve and advance the tradition and beauty of Korean ceramics in contemporary forms. This year, the event attracted 254 submissions from 206 artists across the globe. A panel of five domestic and international ceramics and art experts conducted a two-stage blind review process, selecting 37 awardees, including one grand prize, one gold prize, two silver prizes, two bronze prizes, and 31 honorable mentions.

Woo's winning piece, 'Distortion,' was highly praised for its interpretation of the moon jar motif. The work features soft curves and a smooth surface texture, enhanced by brushstrokes that add a natural, painterly aesthetic. The gold prize was awarded to Jeon Ha-ram for 'Four Seasons in Iron Glaze,' a piece that reinterprets the iron-tracing technique of buncheong ware. It depicts the passage of seasons on unchanging natural elements like rocks and stones, symbolizing coexistence with nature.

All awarded and selected works will be displayed at the Gyeonggi Ceramic Museum's first-floor special exhibition hall during the 2026 Gyeonggi Ceramic Biennale, running from October 18 to November 1, 2026. Ryu In-kwon, CEO of the Korea Ceramic Foundation, expressed gratitude to the participating ceramic artists and pledged to further promote the beauty and excellence of Korean ceramics, a core element of K-culture, to the world.

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We will continue to strive to pass on the tradition of Korean ceramics. We will also work harder to promote the beauty and excellence of our ceramics, the essence of K-culture, to the world and spread the value of Korean ceramic culture.