Vase Model “Inborn Ott-028”
Manufactured by Park Sung-Youl
South Korea, 2024
Ottchil lacquer, pigment, Hanji, charcoal powder

Measurements
40 cm diameter × 20h cm
15,7 in diameter × 7,9h in

Edition
Unique piece

About
Inborn Ott-028 belongs to Park Sung-Youl’s INBORN series, an ongoing exploration of traditional Korean lacquer and its potential as a contemporary sculptural material. In this work, Park combines ottchil with Hanji paper, pigment, and charcoal powder, creating a layered surface in which texture becomes as significant as the underlying form and gives the object a tactile, almost geological character.
The introduction of Hanji and charcoal powder establishes a dialogue between lightness and density. Paper provides a delicate structural and material presence, while charcoal introduces a granular, mineral quality that contrasts with the depth and subtle sheen of the lacquer. Through repeated processes of application, layering, curing, and refinement, these individual materials become integrated into a unified surface.
The work reflects Park’s interest in allowing the intrinsic properties of natural materials to remain visible rather than suppressing them beneath a perfectly uniform finish. Irregularities, tonal variations, and accumulated textures become evidence of the making process and of the transformations undergone by the materials. In this way, Inborn Ott-028 occupies a space between vessel, crafted object, and contemporary sculpture.

Biography
Park Sung-Youl (Seoul, South Korea, 1978) is a Korean artist and craftsman whose practice centers on ottchil, the traditional Korean technique of natural lacquer. Trained in lacquer at Pai Chai University in Daejeon, Park combines an extensive knowledge of traditional craftsmanship with an experimental approach to material and form.
His work challenges the conventional understanding of lacquer as a surface treatment applied to materials such as wood, metal, or ceramics. Through sustained experimentation, Park developed his own “lacquer stretching” technique, transforming ottchil into an autonomous structural material capable of generating sculptural forms. Through repeated processes of stretching, layering, and curing, he creates objects in which delicate individual lines accumulate to produce surprisingly resilient structures.
Nature plays a central role in Park’s practice, particularly the way lacquer sap emerges from the wounds of the lacquer tree, gradually accumulating and solidifying over time. This process informs his exploration of growth, resilience, and transformation, allowing traditional material knowledge to acquire a distinctly contemporary sculptural language.
Park was awarded the Grand Prize at the Cheongju Craft Biennale Competition in 2019 and was a finalist for the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize in 2020. His work is represented in collections including the Loewe Foundation and the Seoul Museum of Craft Art.