I was born in Masan, South Korea.
MAGAZINE · INTERVIEW
Saerom Yoon
Saerom Yoon (b. 1985) is a Seoul-based designer and artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans collectible furniture, sculpture, and installation. Educated in woodworking and furniture design at Hongik University, he explores the poetic relationship between material, light, and memory, transforming ephemeral experiences of nature into sculptural works that balance functionality with artistic expression.
Working primarily with dyed acrylic resin, wood, and metal, Yoon creates luminous compositions inspired by the shifting colors and atmospheres of sunrise and sunset. Through an ongoing exploration of transparency, reflection, and color, his works capture fleeting moments of landscape and emotion, inviting quiet contemplation while dissolving the boundary between design and sculpture. His work has been exhibited internationally and recognized with distinctions including Wallpaper* Design Awards’ Next Generation Designer of the Year.
Let's know more about
Interview
Where were you born and where are you from?
What is your first memory connected to the art world?
One of the most memorable exhibitions I experienced was Spectrum by Tokujin Yoshioka, which I saw in Seoul in 2010.
Have you always worked in the art/design field?
No. My first major was chemistry. Later, I entered an art university and began studying art.
What led you to design creation?
During my military service, I happened to make a piece of furniture. That experience sparked my fascination with creating things by hand.
How would you describe your creative process and its influences?
I am mainly inspired by nature. I reinterpret those inspirations through my own sensibility and transform them into sculptural works.
Could you describe a typical day of your work?
I usually arrive at my studio at 8 a.m. and leave around 4 p.m.
Why did you choose the specific materials you work with?
I work mainly with acrylic because it allows me to express the colors I pursue in the most natural way.
What are the technical particularities of your creations?
My works maintain transparency while expressing subtle and natural colors through layered pigments inside acrylic.
What advice could you give to beginning artists who would like to create sculptural design works?
Take the time to deeply explore different materials.
If your works had to belong to a design movement, how would you define it?
Rather than belonging to an existing movement, I hope my work can be seen as the beginning of a new one.
What designers and artists have influenced you?
Tokujin Yoshioka.
What contemporary designers do you appreciate?
Choi Byung Hoon.
What contemporary artists, in any kind of art, have you been inspired by?
James Turrell.
If you had to summarize your creations in one word or sentence, what would it be?
A quiet moment of comfort.
Is there anything you would like to add?
I hope my work can offer a small moment of comfort in someone’s day.
“I hope my work can offer a small moment of comfort in someone’s day.”
The Questionnaire
The Questions
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust.
Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde,
Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Love.
What is your greatest fear?
Losing the people I love.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Getting easily addicted to things.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Selfishness.
Which living person do you most admire?
My father.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Sometimes I enjoy a pizza with all the extra toppings.
What is your current state of mind?
Happy.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
The idea that men should never cry.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Sacrifice.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Maternal love.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“Running is the best.”
Which talent would you most like to have?
The ability to speak many languages.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
To worry less.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Becoming an artist.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A whale.
Where would you most like to live?
Somewhere quiet near the sea.
What is your most treasured possession?
My memories.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Loneliness.
What is your favorite occupation?
Taking a nap.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Calmness.
What do you most value in your friends?
Love.
Who are your favorite writers?
Han Kang.
Who is your hero of fiction?
Bruce Wayne.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
James Turrell.
Who are your heroes in real life?
Son Heung-min.
What are your favorite names?
My name.
What is it that you most dislike?
Fine dust.
What is your greatest regret?
Not buying Bitcoin earlier.
How would you like to die?
With the person I love.
What is your motto?
Do your best and accept the result.
“I reinterpret nature through my own sensibility and transform it into sculptural works.”
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