The Cursive Structure Series

A series of sculptural furniture inspired by Korean calligraphy.

Seoul-based designer and artist Chulan Kwak calls himself “form-giver”, a moniker that refers to his ability to materialize concepts into physical forms by exploring various materials. For his Cursive Structure series created in a collaboration with Gallery All, the designer has drawn inspiration from the elegant lines and curves of traditional Korean calligraphy. The furniture series includes a console table and two chairs, all of them designed with flowing forms and organic silhouettes. Crafted from red oak veneer and plywood, the sculptural items also boast a black ink treatment. The intense black finish not only enhances the striking forms, but also creates a link with traditional ink calligraphy.

While the two chairs share the series’ distinctive curved structures, they vary in design. One of them features a wider as well as thinner seating area; the other complements the organic volumes with a simple cube form. All of the pieces of furniture blur the line between art and design. The designer presented his Cursive Structure series at the Gallery All booth at the West Bund Art & Design festival in Shanghai from 7-10 November, 2019. An edition has also been included in the permanent collection of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. Photographs© Gallery All, Chulan Kwak.