Cheyul highlights Korean craft

Korean craft is making inroads in Germany.

The Berlin Craft-expansion Fair is the latest highlight for Cheyul, a Korean luxury handcraft brand invited to participate with a collection that is definitively Korean in origin but deeply universal in aesthetic appeal. The inaugural fair was held from Wednesday to Saturday.

Cheyul’s 25-piece collection ranging from lacquered furniture to a black porcelain moon jar -- alongside 20 pieces from nine Korean craftspeople -- made up close to half of the 120 items on view at the fair, which opened in Mitte, the city’s trendy borough and Kreuzberg, a smaller neighborhood south of Mitte.

And the fair hasn’t ended, yet.

Through the end of this month, a special Korean Craft Exhibition will take place at the Free University of Berlin, showcasing 30 Korean objects.

“This exhibition aims to broaden understanding of Korean culture, which is often associated with K-pop and K-drama, by showcasing both traditional and contemporary Korean craft, as well as works by photographers documenting Korean craft,” said An You-sun, the BCF director.

“This will offer a multifaceted view of Korean cultural arts and an opportunity for dialogue,” An added. “We believe the BCF is not just an event but a movement redefining the role of modern craft.”

Modernizing traditions while keeping the spirit behind them alive is what Cheyul CEO Lee Jeong-eun, 36, has been championing since 2008 when she launched the brand with her older sister.

Lee, who likened her mission to growing a Korean Hermes, the French luxury powerhouse, oversees some 20 artisans and runs a separate team of designers with workshops, some of which are outsourced.

“The separate exhibit at Berlin’s Free University is all the more meaningful for us,” Lee said of the sideshow. Her brand, which means the “master of colors,” will build on the growing influence overseas to better promote Korean art.

“Berlin is a start,” Lee added. “We will win over art enthusiasts elsewhere, by the next decade.”