Embracing beauty in imperfection
Recently, while observing the Chuseok full moon with my family, I was reminded of another moon — one I encountered thousands of kilometers away from Korea. It was a simple white moon jar displayed in a British museum, and it quietly changed the way I understood beauty. During my graduate studies at Oxford University, I became an avid museumgoer. There is something captivating about museums: they…
During Chuseok, a time for family gatherings and reflection, I found myself reminiscing about a different moon. This moon, a simple white moon jar, resided in a British museum, thousands of miles away from my home in Korea. This encounter left me questioning my perception of beauty. As a graduate student at Oxford University, I had become enamored with museums, their silent guardians of history's fragments.
Each visit transported me through time and space, from ancient civilizations to distant lands. With countless treasures to explore, I adopted a habit of selecting a theme for each trip, juxtaposing artifacts from various cultures to understand their distinct approaches to the same concepts. When I visited the British Museum in London and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, my focus was invariably on pottery and ceramics.
As I moved from one civilization to another, I marveled at objects of extraordinary craftsmanship - intricate designs etched onto humble vessels, each telling a story of its creators. This particular moon jar, with its unassuming beauty, challenged my understanding of what constituted true beauty.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 1 other outlet
- Embracing beauty in imperfection koreatimes.co.kr
