{"id":10767,"date":"2025-02-11T10:54:54","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T09:54:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yun-berlin.com\/journal\/?p=10767"},"modified":"2025-02-11T10:54:54","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T09:54:54","slug":"artist-setbyol-oh-sheds-light-on-her-designs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yun-berlin.com\/journal\/artist-setbyol-oh-sheds-light-on-her-designs\/","title":{"rendered":"ARTIST SETBYOL OH SHEDS LIGHT ON HER DESIGNS"},"content":{"rendered":"

It might seem like a clich\u00e9 to say that Setbyol Oh began designing light objects on a dark, gloomy night in Germany, but isn\u2019t it fitting when light is born from darkness?<\/span><\/p>\n

The Korean-born artist was working as a painter on the island of Sylt when, in the winter of 2013, the German summer getaway for the wealthy became too depressing to bear. \u201cI don\u2019t understand why German people like Sylt,\u201d Setbyol says candidly over cocoa-flavored tea in her new two-story studio in Mitte, which she shares with other artists. \u201cIt\u2019s a very beautiful landscape, but [in winter] it\u2019s always raining and so cold. One night, I thought, \u2018No, this is too dark. I need some light in my life.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoping to bring warmth and comfort to her home, she crafted a lounge lamp for her bedroom using materials she\u2019d once bought at a Buddhist store in Jeonju, South Korea. Her friends, fascinated with the result, later ordered lamps from her for their own apartments. After a while, Setbyol was achieving greater success with light sculptures than with painting, so she shifted her focus and founded her company, <\/span>oh licht<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her early works were inspired by Buddhist lotus lanterns, but gradually, she developed her own style. She also experimented with various types of paper, but they all proved too fragile, tearing over time. That\u2019s when she discovered <\/span>hanji<\/span><\/i>, a traditional Korean paper made from the inner bark fibers of one-year-old mulberry trees. Naturally strong, <\/span>hanji<\/span><\/i> is often used in museum restoration, including at the Louvre.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI make the base shape from <\/span>hanji<\/span><\/i>, then use silk paper to create leaves [her signature feature], twisting and gluing them onto the structure. It makes the piece feel alive, like it\u2019s something from nature,\u201d Setbyol says.<\/span><\/p>\n

As word of her work spread, she began selling at galleries, international craft fairs, and exhibitions, including the renowned Grassi Museum in Leipzig, the Museum for Art and Industry in Hamburg, and the German Historical Museum in Berlin.<\/span><\/p>\n

After two years on Sylt, she moved to Berlin. The winters are still cold and gray, but the vibrant cultural and art scene makes up for it. \u201cAlso, in Berlin nobody cares where I\u2019m from,\u201d she adds. \u201cI was the only Korean, if not the only Asian, in all of Sylt. It is very difficult for foreigners.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Setbyol Oh came to Germany in 1996. Her cousin was living in Hamburg at the time, which sparked her curiosity about life in Europe. She enrolled at the Goethe-Institut for six months to learn German and then applied for a place to study at HFBK Hamburg, which didn\u2019t require a high school diploma. \u201cThey only asked for my portfolio. It was my only chance to stay in Germany because I\u2019d initially wanted to finish school here but couldn\u2019t get the right visa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Setbyol was accepted and, at just 17, began studying fine art at university. \u201cIt was very difficult,\u201d she admits. \u201cThe program was quite conceptual. Students had applied with photography collages! Back then, I didn\u2019t even know that was considered art. I was very young.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you consider to be art?\u201d I ask.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPainting,\u201d she replies. \u201cI was surprised that many German students weren\u2019t skilled in painting. In Asia, art education is focused on technique and form, not content or concept, which is what they prefer in Germany.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Setbyol learned to paint from her aunt, who owned an art school. \u201cEvery summer, when my parents were working, I would go there,\u201d she shares. \u201cMy uncle was also a potter, so I practiced pottery with him. It all started very naturally.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At university, she expanded her artistic approach, experimenting with mediums and materials like performance, video installation, and porcelain. A professor once took her class to London to explore its art world. \u201cOne exhibition stands out in my memory,\u201d Setbyol begins. \u201c<\/span>Sensation<\/span><\/i> at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1997. It was massive, sensational, and shocking to me. I specifically remember the \u201cA Thousand Years<\/em>\u201d installation by Damien Hirst, where, in a square glass box, flies hatched from maggots, fed on a cow\u2019s head, and ultimately died in an electric fly trap. The work was one of the most controversial exhibits. I had never seen anything like it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That sense of discovery, of encountering the unexpected, also drives her work today. Upstairs in her studio, she shows me her creations. In the corner hangs a small, round-ish light object that reminds me of a Christmas tree ornament. \u201cIt\u2019s called Loulou<\/em>, after a friend,\u201d she says. On a nearby table lies a large, yet to be folded <\/span>hanji<\/span><\/i> piece, coated in konjac powder to protect it from moisture. \u201cTreating the paper with konjac starch also makes it flexible, allowing spontaneous, organic forms to emerge,\u201d she explains. I am curious to see what the mixture looks like, so she goes downstairs to retrieve it from the kitchen fridge. \u201cIt\u2019s all natural,\u201d she explains while stirring. \u201cYou can even eat it, but it has no taste. The Japanese use it with sweets because of its jelly-like texture.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This piece is part of a commission for a big company in Seoul. \u201cThey bought five big designs,\u201d Setbyol says, clearly pleased. She got the job through an art consultant who visited her exhibition in Seoul in 2022. How did it feel to showcase her work in her hometown after exhibiting in European cities?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very special, specifically for my family. At first, I was nervous about doing an exhibition in Korea because I didn\u2019t want people copying my work. <\/span>hanji<\/span><\/i> is easy to find there. But people really appreciated my pieces, and I was touched by their reactions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A standout collection in her repertoire is the <\/span>Fenster<\/span><\/i> (German for \u201cwindow\u201d) series, made with parts of a nearly 100-year-old sliding door from a <\/span>hanok<\/span><\/i>, a traditional Korean house. \u201cA friend found it in a bin and asked if I wanted it. I immediately said yes, then reshaped it by cutting and rearranging the slats.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Behind the frame lies watermark paper that Setbyol handmade during an internship with Gangolf Ulbricht, a Berlin-based master papermaker known for his museum-quality 3g paper (\u201cYou need ten years of practice to make it properly.\u201d) The paper she used for <\/span>Fenster<\/span><\/i> is 80% bleached hemp and 20% bleached abac\u00e1, which creates \u201ca refined quality that beautifully diffuses light\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Setbyol doesn\u2019t have a single favorite among her designs, but she has a sweet spot for one called <\/span>Devil\u2019s Tongue<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u2014her first piece in which the base structure is made entirely of <\/span>hanji<\/span><\/i> and konjac starch, without rattan.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI feel that my work is deeply connected to the materiality of paper. It guides the shape rather than being forced into a fixed form. The name <\/span>Devil\u2019s Tongue<\/span><\/i> not only reflects this dynamic movement but also refers to the plant whose root is used to produce the konjac starch,\u201d she explains.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Movement is also a fitting way to describe Setbyol\u2019s life\u2014shaped by relocation and cultural shifts (she also has a collection called <\/span>Way Home<\/span><\/i><\/a>, her largest to date, in which she explores the meaning of home, nostalgia, and belonging). But in her day-to-day, she values routine, especially since the art world can be unpredictable. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to develop your own philosophy, apply it in your work, and make money from it at the same time. I thought about quitting many times last year,\u201d she admits.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPreparing for exhibitions always takes a lot of effort, yet there\u2019s no guarantee of income. The studio rent and other expenses still have to be paid every month. Some years, I hardly sell anything\u2014then, at a single craft fair, I might sell enough to make up for an entire year. It\u2019s unpredictable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

How does she cope with the uncertainty?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs an artist, you have to take initiative. You can\u2019t just wait and hope. You have to step forward and say, \u2018I\u2019m here, and this is my work.\u2019 If I don\u2019t, no one will even know it exists. That\u2019s why I create my light sculptures while also making sure they reach people. It\u2019s all part of the process.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her clients\u2019 feedback serves as a powerful source of motivation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen customers email me, telling me they love my lighting objects\u2014it\u2019s reassuring to hear that. My customers are brave and loyal. They care about craftsmanship. They don\u2019t want what everybody else has. They want something unique.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With Setbyol Oh, they\u2019ve found exactly that.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can find Setbyol Oh\u2019s light objects on display at Berlin\u2019s YUN store until 15 March.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It might seem like a clich\u00e9 to say that Setbyol Oh began designing light objects on a dark, gloomy night in Germany, but isn\u2019t it fitting when light is born from darkness? The Korean-born artist was working as a painter on the island of Sylt when, in the winter of 2013, the German summer getaway […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":10773,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,104,108],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yun-berlin.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10767"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yun-berlin.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yun-berlin.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yun-berlin.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yun-berlin.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10767"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/yun-berlin.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10800,"href":"https:\/\/yun-berlin.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10767\/revisions\/10800"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yun-berlin.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yun-berlin.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yun-berlin.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yun-berlin.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}