Slice of life

KIM junsu’s Slice of Life is inspired by the “vitality” inherent in leather. The artist deemed the process of producing with one’s hands as the critical value of craftsmanship and sought the ways of expression to maximize this. The material that he used is vegetable-tanned leather, which utilizes tannin acquired from tree bark or plant stems for tanning the leather. Though processing leather in this manner takes longer than using chemicals, it is environmentally friendly. Leather processed in this method is also more easily affected by the environment, just as when it existed as the animal’s skin. It darkens if exposed to light, is susceptible to scratches when rubbed against something, and develops a sheen when gently rubbed. He cut this leather into thin cords, stacked them up in a circular fashion, and finished the work by applying lacquer on the surface. Visitors can glimpse the artist’s values through his highlighting of the characteristics of the material that allow it to adapt and change to the natural environment. The original form of the leather is deconstructed and broken down, but it is reconstructed in the form of vessel. The process by which the thin, 2–4 mm leather cords are stacked up and grow in volume resembles the growth rings of trees that accumulate over several hundred years, enduring the seasons that come back time and again. The material that came from a once-living animal life is reborn as a plant-like piece that contains space through time and the handwork of the artist.