Taehun Lee Shapes the "Blue Night in the Fog" in Glass... Winner of the 2nd Seoul City Yuriji Craft Award

Final Winner Selected from 128 Entries

Blowing and Filigree Cane Techniques Praised

20 Finalist Works to Be Exhibited for Free at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art Starting September 1

The winner of the 2nd Seoul City Yuriji Craft Award has been selected as glass artist Taehun Lee's "Nocturne of the Blue Night in the Fog."

Taehun Lee, Nocturne of a Blue Night in the Fog, 2025, Glass, 40×46×46cm. Seoul Museum of Craft Arts

On August 31, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art that it had selected artist Taehun Lee as the final recipient of the 2nd Seoul City Yuriji Craft Award. From March to December of the previous year, a total of 128 works were submitted. In February of this year, 20 works advanced to the finals through the first round of document reviews, and this month, after an in-person review, the winner was determined.

The award-winning piece, "Nocturne of the Blue Night in the Fog," is a work that expresses the tranquil scenery of a blue night shrouded in dense fog, rendered as a spherical glass object. The artist used two techniques: "blowing," which involves shaping molten glass by blowing, and the "filigree cane" technique, which creates patterns by stretching and twisting glass rods. Concentric circle patterns of varying sizes and a translucent blue hue serve to visualize the passage of time in nature and evoke a sense of serenity.

The judging panel, chaired by Hongnam Kim, former director of the National Museum of Korea, commented, "The large-scale blowing and filigree cane techniques have been used in an original and creative way. The translucent blue color, along with the layering of large and small curves and patterns that fill the surface, harmonizes with the form of the work and creates a lyrical atmosphere."

Taehun Lee was also a finalist in the first Yuriji Craft Award and has previously received the Silver Prize at the 2023 Cheongju International Craft Competition and was a finalist in last year's Kanazawa Kogei International Competition. His works are also held in the collections of institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum in the UK. The winner receives a certificate and trophy from the Mayor of Seoul, and the Glass Craft Center supports a three-month residency at "Cité des Arts" in Paris, France, along with a solo exhibition.

The winning work and the 20 finalist pieces will be exhibited for free from September 1 to October 11 on the first floor of Exhibition Hall 1 at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art. Visitors can see a wide variety of contemporary works across craft fields such as metal, ceramics, glass, wood, and fiber all in one place.

Associated events will also be held. From September 3 to 11, "Check-in Workshop" will offer visits to the studios of the five finalist artists: Taehun Lee, Kim Kyungchan, Kim Kyunghwan, Shin Hyerim, and Jung Soyoon. On September 19, Taehun Lee will personally give a lecture on his artistic world and creative process. During Seoul Art Week, starting on September 4 and continuing on September 11 and 18, and October 2 and 9, there will be night exhibition tours guided by curators.

The Seoul City Yuriji Craft Award was established in 2023 in honor of the late Yuriji (1945–2013), a representative of the first generation of contemporary Korean craft artists. The fund for the award is supported by the artist's family, who donated a total of 900 million won over 30 years, making this the first case of a Seoul City commendation established through a public-private partnership with private contributions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.