Monash University Designer Gyungju Chyon’s work enters NGV Permanent Collection in Historic First

A series of ceramic vases designed by Monash University spatial designer Gyungju Chyon and Swinburne University’s Associate Professor John Sadar have been acquired by the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) for its permanent collection. This marks an historic milestone as the first acquisition from Monash University’s Design department to join the gallery’s prestigious holdings.

The collection, titled Opening, features four striking ceramic vases that merge technical precision with organic form. Their distinctive apertures resemble cracked earth or an eggshell breaking open, inviting viewers to consider themes of emergence, growth, and transformation. While the vases initially appear familiar in their classical silhouettes, their unexpected openings subvert traditional expectations, reflecting a dialogue between heritage and innovation.

Images:Gyungju Chyon's work on display in the Contemporary Design and Architecture area of NGV

For Chyon, who is the co-ordinator of the Bachelor of Spatial Design within Monash Art, Design and Architecture (MADA), the acquisition represents both a personal and institutional achievement.

“It’s a privilege to see our work recognised by the NGV,” Chyon said. “This moment also highlights the incredible breadth of creativity emerging from Monash Design and its growing contribution to Australia’s cultural landscape.”

The Opening vases were created in collaboration with Associate Professor John Sadar, an architect and design academic at Swinburne University of Technology. The idea for the work originated during a hands-on exploration of material behaviour. While working with clay slabs, the designers noticed that pushing their fingers beneath partially dried clay caused the surface to tear and crack in organic patterns. These accidental forms evoked the image of new life breaking through the earth, a poetic symbol of creation that became central to the design’s concept.

“That moment of material discovery inspired everything,” Chyon explained. “We wanted to preserve that sense of natural tension and transformation within a refined, manufacturable object.”

Originally designed for and produced by Rosenthal Studio-Line, a renowned German porcelain manufacturer, the Opening series has already achieved significant international recognition. The vases were featured in Rosenthal’s 50th and 60th anniversary exhibitions, which celebrated 50 years of avant-garde design and included works by some of the world’s leading designers such as Walter Gropius, Tapio Wirkkala, Jasper Morrison, and Marcel Wanders. The vases have also appeared in publications including Metropolis Magazine , Azure, I.D Magazine and The Philadelphia Inquirer, and received the Baden-Württemberg International Design Award (Silver) in 2007.

The NGV’s acquisition of Opening not only acknowledges Chyon and Sadar’s creative innovation but also represents a significant institutional milestone for Monash Design. While the NGV has previously collected works from Monash’s Fine Art department, this is the first inclusion from the Design department, underscoring the growing recognition of design as a critical and influential discipline in Australia’s cultural and artistic landscape.

“It’s an honour to contribute to that story and to see Monash Design represented in such an important national collection.”

The Opening vases are now part of the NGV’s permanent collection, displayed in the Contemporary Design and Architecture area, where they join the works of some of the world’s most celebrated designers, continuing to challenge and inspire audiences with their quiet elegance and conceptual depth.