Vase Model “Inborn Ott-029”
Manufactured by Park Sung-Youl
South Korea, 2024
Ottchil lacquer, pigment, Hanji, charcoal powder
Measurements
34 cm diameter × 30h cm
13,4 in diameter × 11,8h in
Edition
Unique piece
About
Inborn Ott-029 belongs to Park Sung-Youl’s INBORN series and continues his investigation into the sculptural possibilities of ottchil, combining natural lacquer with pigment, Hanji, and charcoal powder. Its compact proportions give the work a strong physical presence, while the layered treatment of its surface introduces an organic complexity that contrasts with the clarity of its overall volume.
Park’s process brings together materials deeply connected to Korean craft traditions and transforms them through a contemporary approach to making. Hanji contributes lightness and structure, while charcoal powder and pigment introduce depth, irregularity, and tonal variation. Layers of ottchil bind these elements together, producing a surface whose appearance emerges gradually through accumulation.
Within the INBORN series, material is understood not merely as a means of constructing an object but as an active element capable of determining its final character. The work consequently carries visible traces of time, repetition, and manual intervention. In Inborn Ott-029, these processes result in an object that feels simultaneously elemental and highly refined, connecting the material heritage of Korean lacquerwork with a distinctly contemporary sculptural language.
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.
