D’Haene works in stoneware, hand building vessels that draw upon her Korean heritage, with shapes that descend from traditional ceramic forms such as the “dalhangari” or moon jar. Her pieces depart from this history as she experiments with surface; instead of mirroring the smooth white exterior of the original vessels, D’Haene employs a variety of glazes and techniques to create texture, movement and tonal shifts. The resulting works take on a sculptural quality, mimicking the earth from which the clay itself is drawn. Her vessels are simultaneously terrestrial and other-worldly, abstracted and functional.

D’Haene’s moon jars confront the formal boundaries of their medium. Though derived from tradition, her pieces are distinctly unconventional. Her creative process embraces imperfection with intention, working to capture its aesthetic value. She expands upon the anomalies of form and color historically created during firing, a process that leaves much to chance. The work also points towards the balance created between the various opposing forces at play in her process.

As all artists must, D’Haene reckons with the long history of her medium that came before her. She embraces the framework of this history while pushing against it, using tradition as a vehicle for innovation. D’Haene situates herself not as a designer working within the confines of her craft, but as an artist actively toying with the conceptual and technical possibilities of it.

Born in South Korea, Jane Yang-D’Haene draws upon her cultural heritage to create unexpected ceramic work. After moving to New York City in 1984, D’Haene attended the Cooper Hewitt School of Architecture, after which she went on to work as an interior designer for a major architectural firm. However, D’Haene’s own work has evolved past this realm. Since beginning her work in ceramics in 2016, D’Haene has experimented with form and function, quickly establishing herself as an artist capable of innovating the medium. D’Haene often works within the language of traditional Korean ceramic forms, using parts of this longstanding history as a vehicle for experimentation. She builds upon these forms, integrating contemporary techniques, colors, and textures to create sculptural vessels that toe the line between art and design. Through this manipulation of her medium and reinterpretation of her history, D’Haene creates one-of-a-kind objects that breathe new life into a centuries-old craft.