DOGABI
Myth Made Material
In Korean folklore, Dogabi (도깨비) are tricksters and guardians—spirits said to bring luck or chaos depending on their mood. They appear at twilight, laugh at human vanity, and disappear again into the mist. For ceramicist Kim Hyung-Jun, Dogabi are more than myth. They are characters—each with a soul, a story, and a face shaped by hand from porcelain.
Working from his studio in Yeoju, South Korea, a region known for its centuries-old porcelain tradition, Kim began creating Dogabi in 2016. His process is as obsessive as it is intuitive. Each piece—whether an incense burner, oil lamp, shot cup, or sculptural jar—is wheel-thrown, carved, and glazed entirely by hand, then fired up to six times to achieve the exact hues and textures he envisions. Layer by layer, glaze by glaze, he coaxes subtle depths of color—milky whites, mossy greens, oceanic blues—until the spirit within the clay reveals itself.
This fall, Takamichi Beauty Room in New York becomes the first gallery outside Korea to present Dogabi’s large-scale works. These monumental porcelain sculptures extend Kim’s mythology into new dimensions: their faces gleam with expressive vitality, and their teeth are inlaid with 23.5-karat gold, hand-applied and re-fired until the luster catches the light just so. The effect is otherworldly—equal parts ancient relic and modern talisman.
Every Dogabi is one-of-a-kind, individually numbered and signed by the artist. No molds, no repetition—only singular forms that capture the unpredictable spirit of the Dogabi itself. Some grin mischievously; others seem serene, lost in thought. All invite you to look twice and perhaps laugh back.
Dogabi is at once Korean mythology reborn and contemporary ceramic art. In Kim Hyung-Jun’s hands, porcelain becomes alive, playful, and haunting—a conversation between craft, culture, and imagination.
At Takamichi Beauty Room, the Dogabi have crossed the ocean—not as ghosts, but as guests.
