kim byungsub's oxidized steel chairs encapsulate the organic forms of korean artwork

Kim Byungsub spatially translates Yun Hyong-keun’s paintings

Kim Byungsub’s UB01 collection (Umber Blue) brings to life the two dimensional artworks of Yun Hyong-keun as a series of steel furniture pieces. The project pays homage to the renowned Korean artist and his unique artistic language known as the ‘gate of heaven and earth’, by exploring its quintessential characteristics of form, color, and conceptual expression. With UB01, the three dimensional interpretations capture the original paintings’ abstract simplicity, organic forms, and immersive sensory experience as well as encapsulating Korea’s evolving identity. The result is a series of geometric chairs composed of what appears to be two solid volumes, finished with oxidized surfaces adorned with broad gestural strokes that offers an aesthetic finish, mild corrosion resistance, and minimized light reflection.

all images courtesy of Kim Byungsub

ub01 adorns steel with oxidized gestures

After the turbulent times of Korea in the 1970s, Yun Hyong-keun established a distinct artistic realm that used a broad brush to apply thick blocks of paint onto plain cotton or linen canvases. The colors were variant mixtures of blue, representing ‘heaven’, and umber, representing ‘earth’, which fused together in dark, abstracted, and organic compositions exuding a sense of simplicity. Gazing at Yun Hyong-keun’s artworks, viewers are transported in an immersive experiencing evoking various sensations reminiscent of ancient trees standing resilient against the elements, the exposed rafters of traditional Korean houses, or the fragrant soil teeming with fertility.

Building upon the artist’s legacy, Kim Byungsub seeks to express Korea’s contemporary landscape amidst a new period of turbulence. In the UB01 collection, the furniture designer replaces large brushstrokes that embody the modest virtues of Korean aesthetics with the textures and solidity of ground iron — an elemental material of modern aesthetics. Through a process of oxidizing and coloring with Ebonol-C, the iron achieves its blackened form and the steel is transformed into a functional furniture piece. This fusion of traditional artistic expression with modern techniques enables Kim Byungsub to channel the essence of Yun Hyong-keun’s work while evoking Korea’s evolving identity.

Kim Byungsub presents UB01 (Umber Blue)

an expression of organic forms

the surfaces offer mild corrosion resistance and minimized light reflection

the oxidization translates the original paintings’ large brushstrokes across steel

the series fuses traditional artistic expression with modern techniques

the project is crafted from solid ground iron — an elemental material of modern aesthetics

Kim Byungsub brings Yun Hyong-keun’s paintings to life

project info:

name: UB01
designer: Kim Byungsub

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edited by: ravail khan | designboom