An installation view of "Seongpa Seonye -- COSMOS" (Park Yuna/The Korea Herald)

Known as a Buddhist spiritual leader, Ven. Seongpa has combined Buddhist practice with artistic creation, with his art as both the process and the result.

Seongpa has unveiled some 120 works created over the past decades at the exhibition entitled “Seongpa Seonye – COSMOS,” which opened at the Seoul Arts Center last week. While his art encompasses a wide range range of genres, from calligraphy and ceramics to painting and sculpture, the exhibition focuses on lacquer works. Lacquer is what the monk loves the most as an artistic material.

"P0838" by Ven. Seongpa (Courtesy of the artist)

“The Tao is not something separate. It is found in the ordinary mind,” said Seongpa. “These works are the result of my ordinary mind. They are the traces of my life that flowed like water.”

Seongpa, who became the 15th Supreme Patriarch in 2022, is considered the great leader in the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, South Korea’s largest Buddhist sect. Born in 1939 in Hapcheon, 354 kilometers south of Seoul, Seongpa became a Buddhist monk at the age of 21.

The exhibition unfolds in five sections: “Origin,” “Fluid,” “Illusion,” “Creation,” “Trace” and “Invisible.”

Seongpa finds lacquer the most natural and all-inclusive artistic material. “When I lacquer, all my thoughts disappear. The more you repeat the act of applying and abrading lacquer layers, the true color is revealed, which is 'seon' training itself,” he said.

"C0572" by Ven. Seongpa (Courtesy of the artist)

Upon entering the first section, one encounters black pillars. The blackness, reminiscent of the universe, is the result of repeated layers of lacquering. In the "Invisible" section, Seongpa completely submerged his lacquer work in water, using the lacquer’s water-resistant properties.

“Lacquer does not decay even after a thousand years. Its properties do not change even in water. It is antibacterial, lightweight and there is no other material that is more durable than this. Lacquer is also the material that takes in all colors,” he said.

The exhibition runs until Nov. 17.