Myoungwook Huh

Lacquerer | Yongin-Si, South Korea

Recommended by

Korea Craft & Design Foundation

Layers of time

Myoungwook's works take time to make
He uses ottchil in all his works
For him, Astroboy is a symbol of vitality that he uses regularly

Myoungwook Huh works in various fields such as metal crafts, photography, painting and much more. However it is his unique use of ottchil, a Korean lacquer technique, to apply colour and design, which is his speciality. Lacquer is the traditional medium that has been used on finishing traditional craftwork, wood and metalwork in Korea. For him, it's a painting material. Metal panels, wood and fabrics have become his new canvas. He creates a colour by mixing ottchil and natural dyes according to his mood and energy. He completes the work by repeatedly applying the colours, changing every day one layer at a time and then drying them.

Interview

Ottchil is a notoriously difficult technique, why did you choose it?: Ottchil originates from nature that is temporal as it changes with the time and temperature. I always focus on the subject of time in my works. Ottchil adds depth to my work, as time proceeds, it fully expresses my intentions.
What does your work portray?: My work is time, and time is my everything. The time of the past is recorded, the time of the present is accumulating, and the time of the future will be encapsulated in my work – this feels very significant to me.
Where does your motivation come from?: It started from my emotions when I was eight years old. Astro boy, who was my idol at that time, is realised through my work. Memories and emotions from my childhood have been archived in various ways growing up, which connects and links to my other works.
Is there a special technique you use in ottchil?: In expressing time, I want to include my own patented method. It is done by stacking fabrics on top of each other. There are many techniques for ottchil and I am working with various methods. In this way, I can create my own genre and style.

Myoungwook Huh is an expert artisan: he began his career in 1991