Meot: Korean Art from the Frank Bayley Collection
Seattle Asian Art Museum, Seattle, WA - To March 2, 2025
In East Asian countries ceramics are regarded as a fine art, a form of cultural expression on a level with painting and sculpture. Ceramics make up the core of Meot: Korean Art from the Frank Bayley Collection. The exhibition is organized in eight sections, with seven featuring works by contemporary Korean artists.
Ceramicists Kim Yik-yung (b. 1935), Yoon Kwang-cho (b. 1946), Min Young-gi (b. 1946), Park Young sook (b. 1947) and Lee Inchin (b. 1957), and painter-calligrapher Son Man-jin (b. 1964) are master artists creating modern interpretations of traditional techniques. The pensive images of photographer Koo Bohnchang (b. 1953) capture the people, objects and landscapes of contemporary Korea. Each artist’s work is shown alongside historical pieces that connect them to their country’s artistic roots. The eighth section of the show examines Bayley’s legacy and his relationships with the artists.
Bayley gifted or bequeathed over 360 pieces of Asian and European art to the Seattle Art Museum. He collected with intention. These 60-plus works are from his Korean collection, which he built as a vehicle to advocate for Korean art and culture. He befriended the artists, many of whom worked in traditional media, and acquired historical pieces that gave context to their work. In an adjacent gallery, curator Hyonjeong Kim Han has assembled a group of celadon ceramics from SAM’s own collection, outside the Bayley gifts.
Meot (pronounced “Mŏt”) is a Korean term with no English equivalent. Not an ancient concept, it was conceived in the 19th century at the end of the Joseon period, a time of technological and social change. More than an aesthetic quality, it encompasses expressiveness, spirituality and transformation—a sort of Joseon zeitgeist. Bayley’s collection shines a light on living artists, simultaneously illuminating the traditions in which their work is grounded.
