The Architecture of Absence: Sanghyeok Lee Explores the Spaces Between in Berlin’s ‘ARC’

Main Facts

In the heart of Berlin’s contemporary cultural landscape, at MAJ VAN DER LINDEN within the Stadtquartier Am Tacheles, South Korean-born designer Sanghyeok Lee has unveiled his latest body of work, ARC. On view through March 27, the exhibition showcases a rigorously curated collection of collectible design objects—including lamps, chairs, consoles, and shelving units—that challenge conventional understandings of furniture. Rather than treating objects as isolated entities, Lee’s practice investigates the dynamic interplay between objects, actors, and spatial dimensions.

Rooted in a philosophy that values negative space just as much as physical form, ARC uses warm-toned domestic architecture rather than sterile white-cube galleries to frame its narrative. The works are crafted predominantly from gifted and sustainably sourced European oak, shaped through an intuitive, sculptural methodology. The exhibition invites visitors into a circular spatial flow, encouraging them to look beyond the physical objects and consider the unseen lines, architectural volumes, and psychological resonance of the spaces they inhabit.

Chronology of a Practice: From Strawberry Fields to the Berlin Avant-Garde

Roots and Early Education

Sanghyeok Lee’s journey into the world of design began far from the metropolitan capitals of Europe. Born in South Korea beside a sprawling strawberry field—an origin he affectionately links to the Beatles’ "Strawberry Fields Forever"—Lee initially pursued his foundational design education in Seoul. However, the turn of the millennium marked a seismic shift in global design discourse, driven largely by the intellectual, playful, and highly influential output of the Dutch design scene.

Attracted by this radical ethos, Lee relocated to the Netherlands to study at the prestigious Design Academy Eindhoven (DAE). His time at DAE proved deeply formative. It instilled in him an intimate, tactile understanding of materiality that he continues to view as the cornerstone of his creative practice.

The Crucible of Berlin

Following his graduation, Lee migrated to Berlin, stepping into a creative capital undergoing rapid socioeconomic transformation. Yet, the initial years in Germany were marked by profound personal and administrative hurdles. Like many independent foreign creators navigating the labyrinthine German bureaucracy, Lee faced steep learning curves concerning housing, visas, insurance, and language acquisition.

"At that time, I even had to tick the box labeled ‘Arbeitsloser (jobless)’ on official documents," Lee recalls.

This grueling period of transition directly birthed Arbeitsloser (2012), a celebrated furniture series that translated the fragile, transient, and peripatetic structural logic of construction scaffolding into enduring forms of wood and brass.

Maturation and the Master’s at UdK

As his profile rose, Lee’s portfolio expanded organically from collectible design objects into large-scale sculptures and public art commissions. When the COVID-19 pandemic upended global routines in 2020, Lee seized the moment of isolation to pursue a master’s degree at the Universität der Künste (UdK) Berlin.

"It was a strange period that really shifted something in my work," Lee reflects. "I started to think not just about the object, but about the behaviour of the object and our behaviour around the object." This academic deep-dive solidified his transition toward spatial choreography, culminating in the conceptual framework behind ARC.

Supporting Data and Conceptual Framework

The Philosophy of Yeo-Baek

At the intellectual core of Lee’s work lies a synthesis of European structural theory and traditional Korean aesthetic philosophy. Specifically, his approach is informed by yeo-baek—the deliberate employment of empty or negative space within a composition. In Korean art, calligraphy, and architecture, yeo-baek is not merely an absence; it is a resonant space that allows for reflection, association, and psychological breath.

This concept echoes the observation famously forwarded by artist Ólafur Eliasson: "The gap between the two chairs is more interesting than the two chairs." By prioritizing the voids between pillars, walls, and furniture, Lee constructs a visual language where the invisible architecture of a room carries equal weight to its physical contents.

Enlightenment Roots and Intuitive Production

For ARC, Lee drew unexpected inspiration from the inductive logic of Enlightenment-era intellectual projects, such as Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d’Alembert’s Encyclopédie. Rather than operating from a rigid, predetermined theoretical framework, Lee allowed knowledge, form, and utility to develop through observation, accumulation, and material dialogue.

Gathering an eclectic archive of visual references—ranging from undulating vaulted ceilings and condensation trails arching across a blue sky to a still of avant-garde Austrian artist Valie Export bearing the manifesto text, "Art can help to sharpen our perception"—Lee traced recurring motifs of curves and spatial layering.

When gifted a cache of high-grade European oak by friends departing Berlin, Lee abandoned preliminary digital blueprints in favor of direct, meditative craftsmanship:

"I spent a lot of time placing different elements together, focusing on the details, looking at each object, and considering whether all the pieces were in the right place."

Reflecting Korean traditions that view timber as possessing an enduring life force even after felling, Lee collaborated with the wood, allowing its natural grain and tension to dictate the rhythm of the collection. Recurring architectural arches guide the eye and body through the space, bridging the gap between utilitarian furniture and fine art sculpture.

Official Responses and Curatorial Context

Exhibiting at MAJ VAN DER LINDEN—situated within Townhouse 068 in the newly revitalized Stadtquartier Am Tacheles on Johanniisstraße—provides a vital contextual backdrop for ARC. Breaking away from the antiseptic neutrality of conventional white-cube galleries, the venue offers a warm-toned domestic architectural environment that mirrors the intimate scale of Lee’s collectible pieces.

Curatorial framing of the exhibition emphasizes a circular movement through the rooms. Visitors do not merely observe the lamps, chairs, and consoles from a distance; they are forced to navigate around and through them, becoming active participants in a spatial choreography.

"Spatial experiences play a central role in my creative process," Lee notes, detailing how he maps invisible vectors connecting floors to walls, and ceilings to pillars. "I examine not only the overall atmosphere but also the details of each individual element that makes up a space. In any space, I envision the absurd stories that might unfold within it."

Discussing the interactive mechanics of the exhibition, Lee adds:

"Following the lines of ARC reveals hidden connections that invite personal interpretations of space. It creates new spatial experiences, offering another dimension that expands through objects."

Implications for Contemporary Design

Sanghyeok Lee’s ARC arrives at a critical juncture in contemporary design discourse. As mass production and digital homogenization increasingly flatten our sensory environments, Lee’s work champions a return to slowness, materiality, and spatial mindfulness.

Bridging Object and Environment

The implications of Lee’s practice extend far beyond collectible design markets. By dissolving the hard boundaries between furniture design, sculpture, and interior architecture, ARC challenges architects and designers to rethink how humans occupy built environments. The objects do not command the room; rather, they activate it, turning dead space into a dynamic field of potential narratives.

A New Paradigm for Heirloom Design

By marrying the sustainable ethos of utilizing gifted timber with the rigorous intellectual heritage of Enlightenment encyclopedism and Korean spatial philosophy, Lee proposes a new category of contemporary heirloom. These are pieces designed not merely for functional utility or aesthetic consumption, but to foster an enhanced state of human perception. In an era dominated by digital noise, Sanghyeok Lee’s silent, beautifully balanced arches offer a timely reminder that the most profound design experiences often lie in what is left unsaid—and unbuilt.