Sung-Youl Park is a pioneering Korean lacquer artist whose work uniquely elevates lacquer from a traditional finish to the central structural material of sculpture. Educated at Pai Chai University, he forges his creative path by teaching and running his own ottchil workshop.
He’s best known for his innovative “lacquer stretching” technique, in which layers of lacquer are applied, cured, and peeled from molds to form autonomous, expressive shapes subverting traditional lacquerware. His poetic exploration of nature’s resilience, drawing inspiration from the wounds and flows of lacquer trees, imbues each piece with organic vitality and layered complexity.
Through the countless fine layers of color and line, I seek to capture the traces of life accumulated over time.
Each line is a life.
