On February 26, Guild Gallery is thrilled to announce Moon Jars: No Simple Matter, a group exhibition celebrating the enduring ingenuity of the moon jar, an iconic form in Korean ceramics. With texts written by art historian Glenn Adamson, the show explores how this large, globular jar — whose shape evokes the full moon — has inspired and influenced the creative practices of nine international artists across borders and centuries.

The exhibition showcases the moon jar’s unadorned surfaces and simple forms, reimagined through both material innovation and traditional handcraft techniques. American ceramicist Casey Zablocki’s experimentations with proprietary mixtures of clay echo the moon jar’s simplicity and the graceful lines of Big Sky Country. Vessels by London-based artist Akiko Hirai feature pinholed glazes, small chips on the rim, and other imperfections.

The exhibition also highlights porcelain works by Fukushima-based Kenta Anzai, who incorporates urushi lacquer into his sculpture; luminous rice-hull-fired surfaces by Yoshimitsu Ishihara from his studio in Fukuoka, Japan; gently folded forms by Ludmilla Balkis, who, working from her studio in the French Basque region, treats clay like fabric; works by Tokyo ceramicist Kansai Noguchi inspired by prehistoric Jomon ceramics; tranquil, minimalist designs fired in an anagama kiln by Tomoko Sakai in Kagawa Prefecture; elegant, silver-painted porcelain vessels by Korean artist Heami Lee, and irregularities of texture, depth and color that American potter Rick Hintze achieves through a pinch-and-coil method. These modern moon jars form a constellation of tradition and technique, blending individual artistry with pottery wisdom that has remained largely unchanged for centuries.

Moon Jars: No Simple Matter opens to the public on February 26, 2025. For more information, visit guildgallery.com.