Kiwa Console
Kiwa Console detail
Chulan Kwak asserts that crafts are theoretically the result of ‘a blend of concept and tangible materials.’ From the point of view of craftsmanship, however, such notions arise from intuition. Conceptions of craft and design may stem from the needs and wants of the market, but it is the artist who plays the critical role, lending form. For Kwak, designed objects are more than commercial products for the consumer; rather, they are tangible archives of his personal experiences. This very philosophy is what distinguishes Kwak as an artist among designers.
Kiwa Desktrays
Kiwa Desktrays detail
Kiwa Bench
Kiwa Bench detail
Recognized by artists from diverse disciplines such as architecture and ceramics, Kwak’s extraordinary work distinguishes itself by his choice of media. The artist’s interdisciplinary approach reveals a dialectical process: crossing many boundaries and inviting organic outcomes through the association of disparate materials.
For Chulan Kwak, his creative practice is the de-contextualization of given frameworks and the formation of entirely new social contexts. The artist picks out minute changes in the mundane and ordinary, and employs them as critical elements for dialog. In this dialectic “form-giving” process of materializing the dematerialized, Kwak takes a step closer to mastering his creative vision of blending logic and intuition.
Kiwa Vases
Kiwa Sets
Kiwa Accessary Box
Kiwa Tray
Kiwa Trays
Chulan Kwak graduated with a BFA in Woodworking & Furniture Design from the College of Fine Arts at Hongik University. He then acquired his MFA in Contextual Design at Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands. Upon re-entry, Kwak pursued a career in design. He is currently a faculty member at Sangmyung University.
Kwak has been actively exhibiting since 2011 including solo shows titled
Chulan Kwak
