Artist Choi Sibok is a master-level lacquer artist in South Korea. Marking the 40th anniversary of his debut this year, his profound expertise as a lacquerware artist reveals a rich and expansive artistic world that encompasses artisanal techniques, structural perfection, and technological convergence.

The upcoming EXPO CHICAGO Art Fair presents an excellent opportunity to experience his lacquer artworks, which stand as sophisticated contemporary forms. In particular, his exploration of form and proportion—achieved through his unique aesthetic intuition and a deep mastery of geometric modernity and classical proportional beauty—reveals his truly unparalleled position in the field.

His work is the culmination of relentless dedication to the continuous development of form and formative experimentation with materials, grounded in the theoretical background he cultivated while lecturing and researching at universities and institutes. Various production and decorative techniques add a refined, elegant beauty to his work, defining it as contemporary ottchil (Korean lacquer) formative art rooted in tradition. This stems from his artisanal technical prowess, which harmoniously expresses the inherent physical properties of the materials.

Among the works created using the traditional lacquer production method of Moksim-jeopi-childo (lacquering over hemp attached to a wooden core), some intentionally expose the hemp or tohoe-chil (earth-ash lacquer) used during the process. Utilizing these underlying materials as formative elements is considered an unexpected and ingenious approach. His work is a conceptual exploration of imagery, seeking the aesthetic order hidden within the chaos and order of the universe. These forms are characterized by a minimalist modernity and the application of iconographic proportional beauty.

He pursues art-historical depth through aesthetic contemplation, striving to open new horizons of beauty by finding the connection between spiritual value and formative aesthetics. The source of creative inspiration underlying his work stems from nature, historical records, the life force of vitalism, and his exploration of geometric and aesthetic forms that surround us. He identifies the culmination of his materials' physical beauty as "the beauty of red lacquer and gold," and his formative concept as "collective reconstruction," which he continues to deepen and expand.

Artist Choi Sibok demonstrates a unique approach that converges contemporary practices based on traditional ottchil crafts with new digital technologies. Recognized as an artist who possesses highly skilled craftsmanship, a modern sensibility, and philosophical depth, he is widely regarded as a pioneer in modernizing traditional Korean lacquerware through numerous exhibitions themed around tradition and modernity.

National University. He has held 28 solo exhibitions in cities such as Busan, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, New York, Omaha, and Cary, and has participated in over 200 group exhibitions, including the Korea-China-Japan Exchange Exhibition. He has served as an invited artist for the Grand Art Exhibition of Korea and the Jeongsu Art Exhibition, and as the head judge for the Seongsan Art Exhibition. In 2024, he received the 24th "Today's Artist Award" from the Busan Fine Arts Association for his contributions to regional art development, simultaneously holding a commemorative exhibition sponsored by the association. The local county sponsored a retrospective exhibition commemorating the 50th anniversary of his entry into lacquer art, hosting public seminars and workshops. As the president of the Contemporary Wood & Lacquer Formative Art Association, he organized the 50th-anniversary commemorative event and a symposium for the establishment of a regional ottchil art museum.

He continues his work toward the modernization, popularization, and globalization of Korean lacquercraft. Alongside his activities in the Korean Fine Arts Association and eight other domestic art organizations, he is spearheading K-Culture & Arts projects abroad to promote the enjoyment and expansion of traditional Korean culture and arts. (Curator Lee Sujeong)