Nobody Owns the Land

Upon entering the inner courtyard of Palazzo Litta during Milan Design Week 2025, my gaze was immediately drawn to an expansive surface of terracotta-coloured, sand-like material. An earthy ground layer that covered the square in a single, unbroken gesture. Above it hung a large banner, printed in both English and Korean: “Nobody owns the land / 땅은 누구의 소유도 아니다.” A powerful opening to an exhibition where materiality, trace, and connectedness took centre stage. No loud spectacle, no design as performance. Instead, a quiet installation where clay, memory, and the act of making played the leading roles.

At its core was the mahksabal – a simple clay bowl, often shaped in one fluid movement. These bowls are more than utilitarian objects; they carry the marks of the hand that made them. Many of them featured a glaze that appeared to drip down their edges – as if the material had been guided only loosely, allowing for deliberate unpredictability. In each irregularity, each fingerprint or rough edge, the maker’s gesture is preserved. The object becomes a tactile memory – not just of technique, but of a way of being. A way that embraces intuition, simplicity, and humility.

The clays used – white clay, Bun Choung clay or Sanchoung clay – are sometimes mixed with kaolin, a fine white clay that refines the body and enhances its ability to carry glaze. These materials were intentionally left with visible traces of their making. Alongside ceramics, textiles played a vital role. Coarse hemp cloths were marked, printed, and painted with earthy pigments and thick, mud-like brushstrokes. Black abstract lines – bodily gestures, or signs without a formal language – appeared to move fluidly across the surface. Some cloths were weighted down with stones, grounding them quite literally in the earth.