Tiles, 2026

Daeun Lim

Porcelain

5.5 x 5.5 x 2 (each of 2 tiles)

Tiles is a pair of wall-hanging porcelain works featuring subtle images of a chair and two circles rendered in clear, glossy glaze. As light moves across their surfaces-or as the viewer changes perspective-the imagery quietly emerges and recedes, rewarding close observation.

Daeun Lim's practice explores the intersection of function, form, and idea, finding meaning and beauty in the familiar objects that shape everyday life. After beginning her ceramic arts education in Korea and pursuing graduate studies in the United States, Lim has continued this exploration during her Residency at The Clay Studio. Her practice has expanded from using function conceptually in sculptural work to creating functional ceramics, including cups and bowls now featured in The Clay Studio's Functional Gallery.

Understated and contemplative, Tiles brings a sense of calm, curiosity, and quiet beauty to a space-and offers a wonderful starting point for collecting Lim's work across both her sculptural and functional practices.

Artist Statement

My work employs the aesthetics of utilitarian ceramics in order to challenge assumptions about functionality. My process and the resulting forms adopt the language of industry - sleek, white ceramics rendered with 3D modeling, printing, and mold-making - but subvert the expectation of utility. These materials and methods produce objects that are both recognizable and unfamiliar, whose apparent functionality ranges from ambiguous to hyper-specific, impractical, or exaggerated to absurdity.

I explore objects' potential beyond practical use. I design "function" in a way that pushes boundaries rather than reinforcing traditional utility, and reposition function as a question rather than an answer. Function in my work moves beyond the literal and becomes an analog for the human experience. Shaped by the identities given to me - a woman, a foreigner, and someone who continuously moves between different cultural and social expectations - these functions reflect ways of seeing, adapting, and existing within shifting contexts.

Artist Biography

Daeun Lim is a designer and maker from South Korea. She studied ceramics at Ewha Womans University in Seoul and earned her MFA in Ceramics from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2024. She has participated in artist residency programs at the Interdisciplinary Ceramic Research Center (ICRC) at the University of Kansas, Baltimore Clayworks, the New Harmony Clay Project, and Clayarch Gimhae Museum.

Her work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally at venues including the Red Lodge Clay Center (MT), The Clay Studio (PA), Hudgens Center for Art & Learning (GA), Delaplaine Arts Center (MD), Bund 18 Jiushi Art Gallery (Shanghai, China), KCDF Gallery (Seoul), and Clayarch Gimhae Museum (Gimhae), among numerous others.

• All winning bids are paid in full before artwork leaves The Clay Studio.
• Winning Bids are automatically billed at the close of the Auction at 12:00 pm on September 27th 2026.
• Shipping is NOT included in the winning bid.
• Items can be packed and shipped, and the winner will pay the cost.
• Items can be picked up at The Clay Studio for no additional cost.
• Items with alcohol CANNOT be shipped.