Presented with a commission to install his work in a corporate lobby, Hayun Surl embraced the unconventional space and the accompanying logistical and creative challenges.
My research examines the relationship between cultural memory and material history through a contemporary ceramic practice. Over time, through my experience with traditional Korean pottery and my interest in historical artifacts from different cultures, I began to utilize clay as both an archaeological medium and a vessel that holds cultural and personal memories. In particular, moving between Korea and the United States has deepened my engagement with cultural fluidity and the ways forms, symbols, and beliefs migrate, fracture, and transform across geographies and audiences. This curiosity about cultural exploration allows me to reflect on the relationship between an artwork’s interior and exterior, between myself and society, and between the object and those who encounter it. Perception and experience of space emerge from layered conditions within distinct environments and in the voids between them; my installation practice explores this further.
Reinterpretation and Influences
We now live in a period when globalization allows objects, artists, and audiences to move more easily than ever and encounter objects and artworks that are not necessarily part of their own culture with a fresh perspective. As a result, objects are continually reinterpreted by viewers’ diverse backgrounds, with the context of the space in which the work is placed influencing how it is perceived.
Moreover, ceramics is a pan-cultural practice that spans regions and histories across different cultures, while in the contemporary art world it is increasingly reshaped at an accelerated pace in response to shifting rituals and evolving modes of living.
Within this context, I have become increasingly attentive to how viewers engage with my work. Over the past three years, I have presented my Guardian series in museums, galleries, and public or non-traditional settings. Museums often provide a space with more flexibility, where artistic intentions can develop alongside curatorial ideas. Galleries, on the other hand, tend to shape aesthetic trends in relation to the market, acting as a bridge between artists, collectors, and institutions.
Non-Traditional Space
A recent commission placed the Guardian series within the vestibule of a corporate lobby. Unlike the neutral gallery “white cube,” this site, with architectural constraints, client expectations, and an audience composed largely of company employees, required careful negotiation. The commissioner, a Korean-American business owner, felt a strong cultural connection to the work through the reimagining of traditional Korean vessel forms. These sculptural vessels no longer serve utilitarian purposes but become carriers of layered cultural narratives reframed through my experience as a Korean-American artist within a shifting contemporary context.
The project began with a formal proposal and visual mock-ups, including a 3D rendering and blueprint, followed by site visits to evaluate spatial dimensions and material relationships. Working outside conventional exhibition venues demands close attention to the surrounding textures, light, and architectural language that interact with the work itself. Success in such installations depends on anticipating these conditions and refining details throughout the process. Once the design was confirmed, the team developed a project schedule with specific timelines, logistics, and installation orders, which were all coordinated through consistent communication. The installation took three days, beginning with framing and lighting, followed by setting background panels and finally positioning the ceramic pieces.
Installing artwork in a non-traditional space expands how art is encountered and understood. Unlike galleries where viewers arrive with intent, a vestibule works as a passage, creating an incidental audience that encounters the work unexpectedly. The experience the space offers becomes less controlled yet more immediate as it intersects with the viewer’s everyday life. At the same time, as the space’s architecture and institutional identity merge with the artwork, the work takes on a dialog, shaped through its ongoing exchange with the surrounding environment.
This expanded context also brings limitations. Non-traditional spaces rarely offer ideal viewing conditions such as lighting and surroundings, and attention to the work is often compromised by practical needs. Moreover, artworks in such an environment can be perceived as decorative objects rather than artwork, especially in corporate settings where visual harmony may overshadow conceptual engagement. Institutional constraints such as client expectations, safety standards, and maintenance concerns also influence decisions about scale, materials, and content. For ceramic pieces, fragility and durability intensify these challenges, as the work must withstand conditions beyond those of a controlled gallery setting.
Revelations
Despite the complexities, these projects reveal an essential insight into how space itself can produce meaning. The vestibule functions as a threshold that frames the artwork within a continuous transition between the building’s interior and exterior, where encounters are spontaneous, and interpretations remain open as viewers pass through. I hope the piece becomes less of a fixed form and more of a fluid presence, reflecting the context of the artwork as it shifts the qualities between artwork, object, and ornament within the space.
the author Hayun Surl is a ceramic artist based in Texas. He completed a two-year apprenticeship in traditional Korean pottery in Korea and holds an MFA in ceramics from Ohio University. He is currently an assistant professor of ceramics at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. To learn more about Surl and his work, visit www.hayunsurl.comor follow on Instagram @hayunsurl.
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Presented with a commission to install his work in a corporate lobby, Hayun Surl embraced the unconventional space and the accompanying logistical and creative challenges.
My research examines the relationship between cultural memory and material history through a contemporary ceramic practice. Over time, through my experience with traditional Korean pottery and my interest in historical artifacts from different cultures, I began to utilize clay as both an archaeological medium and a vessel that holds cultural and personal memories. In particular, moving between Korea and the United States has deepened my engagement with cultural fluidity and the ways forms, symbols, and beliefs migrate, fracture, and transform across geographies and audiences. This curiosity about cultural exploration allows me to reflect on the relationship between an artwork’s interior and exterior, between myself and society, and between the object and those who encounter it. Perception and experience of space emerge from layered conditions within distinct environments and in the voids between them; my installation practice explores this further.
Reinterpretation and Influences
We now live in a period when globalization allows objects, artists, and audiences to move more easily than ever and encounter objects and artworks that are not necessarily part of their own culture with a fresh perspective. As a result, objects are continually reinterpreted by viewers’ diverse backgrounds, with the context of the space in which the work is placed influencing how it is perceived.
Moreover, ceramics is a pan-cultural practice that spans regions and histories across different cultures, while in the contemporary art world it is increasingly reshaped at an accelerated pace in response to shifting rituals and evolving modes of living.
Within this context, I have become increasingly attentive to how viewers engage with my work. Over the past three years, I have presented my Guardian series in museums, galleries, and public or non-traditional settings. Museums often provide a space with more flexibility, where artistic intentions can develop alongside curatorial ideas. Galleries, on the other hand, tend to shape aesthetic trends in relation to the market, acting as a bridge between artists, collectors, and institutions.
Non-Traditional Space
A recent commission placed the Guardian series within the vestibule of a corporate lobby. Unlike the neutral gallery “white cube,” this site, with architectural constraints, client expectations, and an audience composed largely of company employees, required careful negotiation. The commissioner, a Korean-American business owner, felt a strong cultural connection to the work through the reimagining of traditional Korean vessel forms. These sculptural vessels no longer serve utilitarian purposes but become carriers of layered cultural narratives reframed through my experience as a Korean-American artist within a shifting contemporary context.
The project began with a formal proposal and visual mock-ups, including a 3D rendering and blueprint, followed by site visits to evaluate spatial dimensions and material relationships. Working outside conventional exhibition venues demands close attention to the surrounding textures, light, and architectural language that interact with the work itself. Success in such installations depends on anticipating these conditions and refining details throughout the process. Once the design was confirmed, the team developed a project schedule with specific timelines, logistics, and installation orders, which were all coordinated through consistent communication. The installation took three days, beginning with framing and lighting, followed by setting background panels and finally positioning the ceramic pieces.
Installing artwork in a non-traditional space expands how art is encountered and understood. Unlike galleries where viewers arrive with intent, a vestibule works as a passage, creating an incidental audience that encounters the work unexpectedly. The experience the space offers becomes less controlled yet more immediate as it intersects with the viewer’s everyday life. At the same time, as the space’s architecture and institutional identity merge with the artwork, the work takes on a dialog, shaped through its ongoing exchange with the surrounding environment.
This expanded context also brings limitations. Non-traditional spaces rarely offer ideal viewing conditions such as lighting and surroundings, and attention to the work is often compromised by practical needs. Moreover, artworks in such an environment can be perceived as decorative objects rather than artwork, especially in corporate settings where visual harmony may overshadow conceptual engagement. Institutional constraints such as client expectations, safety standards, and maintenance concerns also influence decisions about scale, materials, and content. For ceramic pieces, fragility and durability intensify these challenges, as the work must withstand conditions beyond those of a controlled gallery setting.
Revelations
Despite the complexities, these projects reveal an essential insight into how space itself can produce meaning. The vestibule functions as a threshold that frames the artwork within a continuous transition between the building’s interior and exterior, where encounters are spontaneous, and interpretations remain open as viewers pass through. I hope the piece becomes less of a fixed form and more of a fluid presence, reflecting the context of the artwork as it shifts the qualities between artwork, object, and ornament within the space.
the author Hayun Surl is a ceramic artist based in Texas. He completed a two-year apprenticeship in traditional Korean pottery in Korea and holds an MFA in ceramics from Ohio University. He is currently an assistant professor of ceramics at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. To learn more about Surl and his work, visit www.hayunsurl.com or follow on Instagram @hayunsurl.
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