Kim Minwook: On Carving, Bending, and Binding Wood

Kim Minwook never designs or sketches. He turns a block of wood on the lathe, then leaves it to dry naturally and shift as it settles. If it cracks or warps, he may step in to repair it, but the crack stays part of the piece. He goes looking for wood that already shows its age: weathered surfaces, tree rings, the tracks of woodworms.

This is his first solo museum show, in the Koret Korean Galleries. Kim is self-taught, came to woodturning in 2013 after school, military service and an office job, and works in Busan. You read each piece from its flaws first: the knots, scars and splits he built the form around. Curator Yoon-Jee Choi calls the wood "not simply an object shaped by the artist, but a collaborator."

It is included with general admission ($20, free for 12 and under), and the museum is open until 8 PM on Thursdays. It runs until 29 March.