Shim & Lee

I was honored to meet Keum Sun Lee in her North Shore home recently where she showed me some of her exquisite collection of ceramic works created with her husband Sang Sool Shim in their studio Shim and Lee.

These artworks reflect their collaborative creativity and are an enduring ceramic legacy since the passing of Sang Sool Shim in 2020.

Their work has been exhibited internationally and won numerous awards including many successful exhibitions in Korea, Austria, Croatia and NZ. They won the Portage awards in NZ for 11 years and won the prestigious Portage Premier Award in 2018 as well as international awards in Austria and Korea. They won the merit award at Sculpture on the Shore in 2014 and 2018. They also won 1st prize and Merit in the Greater Auckland Art Show.

Working with the 10th and 15th century techniques of Korean pottery including Sanggam (using Intaglio and Sgraffito) these two masters adapted those traditions and added colours to give a contemporary aspect to their creations.

Keum Sun has very kindly allowed Next Door Gallery access to some of these remaining exquisite works to exhibit for sale, made all the more poignant in the realisation that these are the last of their beautiful creations.