Shin Sung-hyun South Korean, b. 1976
A former industrial designer, Shin Sung-hyun reimagines traditional Korean furniture for our modern times. Trained under Kim Chang-shik, the Living National Treasure of traditional woodworking in Seoul, Shin has mastered the art of Joseon-period furniture making and developed an appreciation of the minimalistic aesthetic of Confucian scholars’ furniture.
He considers the scholar’s bookcase to be the ideal representation of the Joseon aesthetic and recreates them to reinterpret Joseon minimalism for contemporary life. Much like the Joseon craftspeople, the designer employs considerate craftsmanship to determine the right proportions for his elongated and airier compositions. Using the traditional Korean technique ‘Nak-dong’ he highlights the bookcase's anatomy by eschewing decorative elements, allowing the beauty of the points, lines, and planes to stand out.
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Hidden Gem
Exhibition 15 - 19 May 2024Often, beauty is discovered in the simplicity and serenity of small details. It exists in the nuances of craftsmanship and the precision of execution. ‘Hidden Gem’ presents Korean artists who demonstrate the subtlety of Korean craft, centring their practice around materiality and process. During the last imperial dynasty of Korea...Read more -
Lost in Tradition
Exhibition 19 - 24 Oct 2023'Lost in Tradition' features artists working with the traditional mediums of ceramics, metal, mother-of-pearl, textiles, wood, and antique furniture. Many are represented in internationally renowned museum collections, including maker of charismatic porcelain Moon Jars, Yun Ju-cheol. Yun has invented a tactile surface decoration known as ‘Cheomjang’ inspired by the 15th...Read more -
Untold Beauty
Exhibition 16 - 24 Sep 2023Untold Beauty draws on a distinctive period in Korean craftsmanship refined during the Joseon dynasty (est 14c). Presenting works by contemporary practitioners, it explores the current return to Joseon’s contemplative aesthetic: featuring ceramics, furniture, textile, and woodworwk including the Moon Jar. Clean, non-decorative and functional everyday objects were made and...Read more
