ARTIST
Eugene Hön is a ceramic artist with a passion for drawing, ballpoint renderings. He has pursued a career as an academic and practicing artist for the past thirty-seven years. He is an artist that celebrates the handmade, developing concepts and ideas within the context of a globalized society. The jewellery installation piece featured here, capitalizes on Hön’s detailed blue ballpoint pen drawings of a Barn Swallow, digitally printed as ceramic transfers and fired onto one of the shards of a broken bone china bowl. This work titled The Road Less Traveled, comprises the partially restored bowl with its missing shard, metamorphosed into a jewellery pendant. Hon references shards that are critical in the research into cultural migrations – even more prevalent today in a global society with its problems surrounding the displacement of people.
Hon embraces the advancement in technology and the impact of the digital, whilst living in an information age. His experience as an academic and commitment to the development of the crafts has expanded his knowledge and honed his broad skills to include the teaching-in and the making of ceramics, sculpture, drawing, artist’s books, digital printing, animation, video or digital projection installation and ultimately design; industrial design and jewellery design and manufacture. His latest career development expands his broad creative output to include curating/curatorial practice, as the recently appointed director of the FADA Gallery at the University of Johannesburg.
ACADEMIC
Eugene Hön is a senior lecturer at the University of Johannesburg with a Master’s Degree in Ceramic Sculpture, from the University of Cape Town withteaching and learning experience across disciplines including ceramics, jewellery design and manufacture, architecture, industrial design and the visual arts. He has held numerous positions since joining the Technikon Witwatersrand in 1986 (merged with RAU in 2006 to become the University of Johannesburg). From 2009 -2014 he took up a position in the University of Johannesburg’s Jewellery Department. He has acted as a judge for the Anglo Gold competition and was a finalist in the SA Jewellery Council’s Jewellex Competition. He has had numerous one-person exhibitions, his latest was held at Elegance Jewellers in Melrose Arch in 2012. The exhibition included a range of jewellery, drawings, artist books and the release of a video of his ceramic installation with projected animation of his ballpoint pen drawings titled, ‘….and the ship sails on’ that celebrated the Chinese Year of the Dragon.
2004 EDP USB (University of Stellenbosch)
1986 MFA. (Ceramic Sculpture), University of Johannesburg
Scholarships and awards for MFA at UCT.
- Coca Cola
- Irma Stern
- Hugh and Win Walker
- UCT Research Scholarship
- HSRC research scholarship
1983 BAFA (Ceramic Sculpture), University of Johannesburg
- BA Art Class medal, Studio-work 1981
- Michaelis Prize, for the best body of work produced by a student in the final year of study. BAFA 1982
1976 Matric Hoërskool Tygerberg
2010
Fellow, in recognition of valuable contributions to ceramics and to Ceramics Southern Africa.
2009
Clay Pot Award, Ceramics SA Regional Awards Exhibition.
1998
Merit Award, International Ceramics Biennale Sandton Civic Art Gallery.
1985
First solo exhibition. Michaelis School of Fine Art Gallery.
Group show at the Association of Arts Cape Town.
1986
Participated in Volkskas Atelier, Association of Arts. Pretoria
1987
Style Design a Light competition.
1988
Solo Exhibition, Installation. Ceramic Sculptures, Market Gallery.
Two person Show, Cassirer Fine Art Gallery. Expressive Ceramic Plates.
1990
Murals, 6 panels designed and carved in raw-brick, Leslie Boyd Library TWR.
1991
Three months at the Cite; Artist in Residence. Preparatory pen drawings.
1992
“Africa Erotica show”, Artists Co-operative, Midrand.
1993
Group Ceramic Exhibition, Linda Goodman.
1994
FNB Ceramic Biennale, (APSA) Sandton Gallery
1996
Solo exhibition, exhibition Sandton Civic Art Gallery.
1997
“Nearer than Bronze” Group Exhibition, Ceramic paper incorporating preparatory ballpoint drawings. (Transfers) & Gallery, Cape Town; Group Exhibition. Transfer Designs Tableware.
1998
Paper Exhibition: Sandton Civic Art Gallery curator Peter Schutz – Group Exhibition.
APSA International Ceramic Biennale Sandton Civic Art Gallery Merit Award Winner.
Gallery on the Bay, Durban: Group Exhibition.
Gallery Elsbeth Burkhalter: Group Exhibition
2000
SA Jewellery Council Collection Awards Exhibition, Gallagher Estate. Finalist 2004
Coordinator of Ceramic Exhibition @ Rau Gallery (The Long Road to…) and exhibitor.
“OppitafelExhibition III”at the Artspace – Group Exhibition.
2007
“Homage to Nesta Nala”– jointly curated exhibition at FADA Art Gallery. Univ. of JHB.
2008
Gallery Tompson – Group Exhibition.
2009
“OppitafelExhibitionat the Artspace – Group Exhibition.
2009 Decorex, Ceramics SA stand exhibitor. Group Exhibition.
2009 Objekt, Convergence – 4 person Group exhibition.
2009 Ceramics SA Gauteng Craft and Design Centre Sandton. Group Exhibition.
2009 FADA Staff exhibition, Practice-led Research Curated Exhibition.
2009 Glazecor Ceramics SA Regional Awards exhibition. Clay Pot Award.
2010 iStore Sandton, SA Inspired Exhibition. Group exhibition.
2010 Art with a Pulse exhibition at 20-21 Visual Arts Centre, Group exhibition. England.
2010 Ceramics Alumni UJ Exhibition at FADA Gallery coordinator and exhibitor – Group exhibition. Projected animation onto a Ceramic Installation titled, Infectious.
2010 Ceramics Southern Africa, Ultra-Furn Regional exhibition at Museum Africa – Johannesburg, ceramic installation with projected animation titled, Woe-man.
2011 Collaborations/articulations, staff exhibition at FADA Gallery UJ, Ceramic installation with projected animation titled, and the ship sails on.
2012 Solo Exhibition, launch of DVD titled,….and the ship sails on…and applied works of art and design. Elegance Jewellers, Melrose Arch.
2014 2014 TAIWAN Ceramics Biennale, New Taipei City Yingge Ceramics Museum. …..and the ship sails on…Ceramic Installation with digital projection of ballpoint pen renderings. Digital materialities section.
2014Group Exhibition. Read, Peep Reap, The Book Arts: Artist’s Books Exhibition, Art on Paper. Stanley 44.
2016 2016 Ceramics SA Biennale, University of Johannesburg Art Gallery. Manufraction; Ceramic shard as vessel. Participating artist and curator.
2017 SAContemporary Artist’s Books curated exhibition at FADA Gallery, Read, Peep, Reap – artist book installation.
2018 Group Exhibition. 100% Clay at Decorex Cape Town. Refuse ceramic installation of digitally printed ceramic transfers of my ballpoint pen drawing of a barn swallow on ready-mades. By Invitation.
2018 CSA Regional Group exhibition. Refuseceramic installation of digitally printed ceramic transfers of my ballpoint pen drawing of a barn swallow on ready-mades.
Corobrik Collection
South African National Gallery • Johannesburg Art Gallery • Durban Art Gallery
TWR Permanent Collection,
Sandton Civic Art Gallery • Constitutional Court of South Africa
Altech collection
and numerous private collections in South Africa • New York • Spain • London • Paris
- TWR Lecturer 1986-1989.
- Programme Leader Ceramic Dept. 1990-1999.
- HoD, Dept Three Dimensional Design- Jewellery, Industrial design & Ceramics. 1999.
- Acting Dean, FADA 2000
- Executive Dean, FADA 2001 – 2006
- Senior lecturer Design 2007 – 2009
- Senior Lecturer Jewellery Design and Manufacture 2011 – 2013
- FADA Art Gallery Director 2014 –
Awards whilst at the TWR and UJ (1986-2017)
- Research Travel Grant 1991. Paris. Foundation for Research Development ( FRD)
- Merit Cash Bonus TWR, 1994.
- ResearchTravel Grant TWR/FRD 1996, Art and Design Conference Helsinki, No Guru No Method, Paris 1996.
- Ceramic Merit Award, Association of Potters of SA (APSA)
- International Ceramics Biennale 1998 Johannesburg, Sandton Civic Art Gallery Exhibition.
- Research Travel Grant, Doctoral Education in Design, Ohio Conference, 1998 TWR
- Jewellex Collection Awards 2000 Finalist The Annual Jewellery Council of SA jewellery awards.
- International Liaison Award (CIA @ TWR) 2003 Trip to India to established links with NIFT, NISTADS and NID.
- Ceramics SA Regional Awards exhibition. Clay Pot Award.
- Made a Fellow. Ceramics Southern Africa. September 2010.