Lee Hyeon-seung gives ancient lacquer art a refreshingly modern twist

Korean traditional lacquer, ottchil, adds durability and beauty to wooden crafts, with artist Lee Hyeon-seung dedicated to modernizing the ancient technique over the past 40 years.

Ottchil artist Lee Hyeon-seung works at her studio located in Dongnae District, Busan. Ottchil or lacquer uses sap earned from the lacquer tree. [PARK SANG-MOON]

[ZOOM KOREA]

The sap earned from the lacquer tree, also known as ottchil in Korean, is a traditional, environmentally friendly lacquer that poses no harm to humans.

When applied to wooden objects, natural varnish not only adds a sophisticated shimmer but also enhances their durability, preventing moisture rot and repelling bugs. Some even say objects painted with traditional lacquer last over 1,000 years.

When the lacquer is first applied, it appears black, but the color wears off as time passes, and the original color of the wooden product gradually and beautifully reemerges.

This is why Korean artisans have long used lacquer to add the final touches to their works. According to multiple documents, Koreans began using ottchil some 2,000 years ago.

Lacquer enhances the function of wooden crafts and is also used as a medium of art. Since lacquer art is complicated and time-consuming, it is often dubbed the art of patience.

Lacquer artist Lee Hyeon-seung, 62, has dedicated her life to this traditional craft for the past 40 years.

She creates chilye, which works made with lacquer are called in Korean. Lee said she fell in love with the lacquer's gradual color change, calling it "color blooming."

Brooches made with lacquer [PARK SANG-MOON]

A plate made with lace and lacquer [PARK SANG-MOON]

Lee majored in lacquer art in college, and the more she studied, the more she immersed herself in the genre's charm, in which artists create objects by layering coats of hemp, painting them with lacquer, drying them and then repainting them with lacquer.

This repetitive work may be arduous for some, but Lee said she found great pleasure in doing what others might find tedious. Lee recalled being enchanted by the jet-black color of varnished art pieces, shining like black pearls.

After graduating from college, Lee decided to further her study of ottchil, so she left for Japan, a country renowned for its lacquerware.

At first, Lee enrolled as a research student at Tokyo University of the Arts. After a year of studying day and night, she was admitted to the same university's graduate school.

The desired shape of “Haeeum” was first made using a mold and then layers of hemp cloth were plastered to the shape. Inlaid mother-of-pearls were added to decorate it. [PARK SANG-MOON]

She was on the honor roll when entering graduate school, where she met a teacher she could look up to. Nagatoshi Ohnishi, a lacquerware master, guided Lee and even helped broaden her perspective in the world of art.

Ohnishi’s works may look simple and monotonous, but they possess power.

After studying under Ohnishi for three years, Lee submitted an award-winning graduation project that was chosen as a permanent collection at the Museum of Tokyo University of the Arts.

In 1996, she achieved another feat by winning the grand prize at the Ishikawa International Urushi Exhibition, often considered the most prestigious competition in lacquer art.

One of Lee’s serial art titled “Sites” is created with the technique of geonchil. Geonchil is a type of sculpture made with lacquered hemp. [PARK SANG-MOON]

“Balwu” is made with ash trees, clay pots, and lacquer [PARK SANG-MOON]

Lee's primary focus is geonchil, a type of sculpture made with lacquered hemp cloth.

Unlike other types of lacquer art, which focus on decorating the outer parts of wooden objects, geonchil enables artists to embody their artistic imagination freely. In the modern art world, geonchil has become a leading form of lacquer art. The end products of geonchil are lightweight and rarely warp.

For example, the work in Lee’s art series, “Sites,” looks very solid, as if it were made with wooden or metal objects, but it is only made with lacquered hemp cloth and adorned with inlaid mother-of-pearl.

A container made with sisal hemp and lacquer [PARK SANG-MOON]

After returning from Japan, Lee taught students at various colleges while pursuing her artistic career. She’s been trying to use multiple materials, such as sisal hemp, lace and soil found in certain areas.

She continues the traditional technique of ottchil but adds modern twists to the centuries-old technique to cater to the needs of today’s customers, applying lacquer to sculptures and everyday necessities such as accessories. By doing so, Lee has been widening the scope of ottchil over the past 40 years.

BY PARK SANG-MOON [park.sangmun@joongang.co.kr]