유남권
Lyu Namgwon

“There is no limit to the expression of ottchil (lacquer). Given the diverse variables resulting from the material of time and the drying environment, ottchil no longer remains in the past. Lacquer, which enhances aesthetics and gradation, becomes even more colorful and can change spontaneously depending on the material and application method. The outcome is achieved based on the artist’s intention, and there is no single set method from the past.”—from an interview with the artist

Lyu Namgwon is a lacquerware artist and disciple of Park Kangyong, a holder of Jellabuk-do Intangible Cultural Heritage for ottchil (lacquer). The artist, who majored in Oriental painting and furniture design, began his path as a student of Master Park in 2007 and was recognized as his disciple in 2014. In 2022, he was praised for being selected as Young Craftsman of the Year by the Yeol Foundation and Chanel. Like the ottchil craft that requires countless brushstrokes and waiting, he moves across the surfaces of objects and furniture to expand the realm of lacquerware and presents his own aesthetics of time by combining traditional techniques with modern experimentation. In this exhibition, unlike the existing jitaechilgi, which involves applying lacquer to an object made of Hanji (Korean mulberry paper), Lyu crafted a new kind of wall by applying ottchil to Hanji and attaching the resulting ottji to objects, creating various shapes through variations in the concentration of lacquer. Each sculpture is wrapped in paper that has absorbed a certain concentration of lacquer and is built into a wall as intended by the artist. The work, which allows viewers to see different forms depending on their positions, thus divides and connects time and space.