LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL has a unique art collection showcasing the hotel’s rich history and works of contemporary Korean art spanning half a century. On display in the lobby since 2023, artist Jeong Kwang-ho’s The Pot is a uniquely beautiful sculpture that achieves harmony with the hotel’s history alongside the other works exhibited.

The moon jar-shaped piece was created using copper wire to reconstruct the surface in such a way that it is not heavy and blends into the space. Unlike ordinary pots whose inside cannot be seen, the artwork consists only of wires that plainly reveal the inside, even incorporating into its background the constantly changing appearance of the lobby as numerous visitors come and go. Appearing to portray veins of leaves or cracks on the enamel surface of porcelain, the numerous copper wires delicately exist both in reality and in concept, providing visitors with a glimpse of Korean beauty and time for reflection.

Jeong Kwang-ho’s deft touch imbues 8 mm copper wires with a poetic and lyrical sense of beauty to create sculptures that take on different forms. The artist pursues an approach of unconventional sculptures, boldly breaking away from the disadvantages inherent to sculptures, to produce ever-changing three-dimensional pieces that are lightweight, easily movable and free-form.

His works are full of life and change with the surrounding environment in which they are placed, revealing the significance of infinite blanks that can be filled by copper wires that establish interaction and communication between the space and the blanks therein.

His pieces have mainly consisted of leaves, flowers and jars, but he has recently branched out into fish, bags and other objects, receiving accolades at prominent overseas art fairs, including Art Basel. His works are currently on display at various museums in Korea, including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul Museum of Art and Leeum Samsung Museum of Art.