KIM DEOK HAN

Working with ottchil—the traditional Korean lacquer—Kim constructs layers of time, memory, and existence. Through repeated coating and sanding, his works reveal strata where past and present intersect, each polished or abraded surface becoming a vessel of memory and a meditation on being.

At the heart of the exhibition is a monumental installation from the ‘DIVISION Series,’ stretching 12 meters in length and 6 meters in height, transforming the second-floor gallery into an immersive spatial experience. Sculptural works from the ‘COMPRESSED Series’ and new pieces from the ‘OVERLAID Series’ further explore the boundaries between painting, sculpture, and object, embodying Kim’s pursuit of a language where matter and spirit, tradition and contemporaneity coalesce.

Kim’s lacquer works resonate beyond material experimentation, using layering and erasure as metaphor and ritual to reflect memory and the passage of time. By bridging the discipline of a traditional medium with contemporary inquiry, Kim situates his work within the discourse on Korean abstraction post-Dansaekhwa while opening new paths for reimagining tradition. “OVERLAID: Layered Time, Forms of Memory” offers a rare opportunity for viewers to encounter time materialized in layered form—where presence, absence, and remembrance quietly converge.