The exhibition the contemplatives brought together three artists whose works, at first glance, could not be more different: the tradition-rooted ceramics of Minsoo Lee and Bokyung Kim, and the abstract photography of Isabel Devos. Yet the curatorial concept revealed a profound common ground – a reduction to the essential, an embrace of stillness, and the discovery of beauty in the most unexpected places.

The Rediscovery of Slowness: Korean Moon Jars

At the heart of the exhibition were the iconic Moon Jars – a ceramic form deeply rooted in Korea’s Joseon dynasty. In striking contrast to the hypermodern perfectionism of contemporary South Korea, these vessels embody a renewed appreciation for slowness, simplicity, and a beauty that is natural rather than manufactured.

Living and working in Germany, ceramicists Minsoo Lee and Bokyung Kim engaged deeply with this tradition for the exhibition. Their Moon Jars, up to 50 cm in height, are created from two hand-thrown hemispheres. The resulting seam and the not-quite-perfect roundness are not concealed as flaws, but celebrated as visible traces of the creation process and as the source of each jar’s unique character. Through the development of innovative glazes, they have reinterpreted this historic form in powerful new ways – endowing it with remarkable serenity and radiance.

The Poetry of Decay: Abstract Landscapes

Set in contrast to the ceramics were the photographs of Belgian artist Isabel Devos. Her work uncovers beauty in the overlooked and inhospitable corners of international port cities: tide-scarred concrete pillars, scratched and dented ship hulls. Over years of exposure, these surfaces have accumulated the markings of time – algae deposits, peeling paint, rust.

Through Devos’s artistic lens, these traces of decay are transformed into powerful abstract landscapes. From the European Idea of the sublime to the quiet Depots of Asian aesthetics, Isabel Devos Explorer the Philosophy of nature, Beauty, Harmony through Photography. Her photographs evoke the depth of Mark Rothko ot the color aesthetics of Japanese Colour in relation to each other, shades of grey and the play of light and shadow, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in emptiness, light, and infinity.

The Synthesis: An Aesthetic of Acceptance

the contemplatives was more than a group exhibition – it was a meditation on the acceptance of what is. Both the Moon Jars and the photographs locate beauty in processes that elude total control. They celebrate the poetry of imperfection and create a space for stillness and contemplation.

“The mimesis process is completely irrelevant to the point that beauty is everywhere.”
— Steve Bisson