To celebrate London's October art week, SYSTEM presents a spotlight on art furniture designer Hyungshin Hwang. Highlighting the ongoing partnership between SYSTEM and Hwang, the feature introduces his creative practice and Layered Steel - grid edition, a pair of sculptural furniture pieces created for the pop-up at Harrods, one of the world’s most iconic luxury shopping destinations.
Video of Hyungshin Hwang’s Layered Steel - grid edition at the SYSTEM Harrods Pop-Up
Layered Steel - grid edition 2026 | SYSTEM Pop-Up at Harrods
Created for SYSTEM’s Harrods pop-up, Layered Steel - grid edition comprises two structures made from thin aluminum panels, cut and assembled using closely spaced stainless steel nails. The construction reveals a process of physical accumulation, with each panel and nail contributing to the overall form.
Sketches and Renderings of Layered Steel - grid edition
Across the smooth, cool metal surfaces, the repeated traces of nails extend beyond their function as fastenings, creating a visual rhythm that registers the passage of time and reveals the material’s physical boundaries. Interlocking geometric volumes and seemingly carved-away sections create contrasts of light and shadow, evoking fleeting urban scenes in which high-rise buildings, alleyways and architectural cross-sections overlap.
Positioned between sculpture and functional furniture—stools and tables—the two works explore the relationship between solid form and open space, condensing a dialogue between void and volume within the rigidity of metal.
Layered Steel - grid edition 2026
About Hyungshin Hwang
Hyungshin Hwang is a Seoul-based designer whose work explores memory, material and structure through furniture and object-making. Grounded in woodworking, his practice translates everyday experiences and emotional landscapes into a distinct formal language.
Hyungshin Hwang and His Signature Layered Series
First introduced at KIAF Seoul in 2007, Hwang’s ongoing Layered Series has become central to his practice. Through modular construction and surface treatment, the series explores the accumulation of time and experience, connecting sculptural expression with everyday function.
Both a physical process and a conceptual approach, layering reflects the fragmented urban landscape and the accumulation of time and experience. Each chair, stool and table evoke the rhythms of construction and erosion that shape modern cities, offering a tactile exploration of structure, resilience and the quiet poetry of built form.
His work has been presented at major exhibitions and design expositions, including Milan Design Week, DMY Berlin Design Festival, Design Days Dubai, Art Beijing and the National Hangeul Museum’s Hangeul Design project, establishing a distinct presence in the art and design scene.
Layered 2024 | SYSTEM Paris Flagship Store
Hwang’s collaboration with SYSTEM began with the creation of furniture and fixtures for the brand’s Paris flagship store. The partnership has since extended to SYSTEM’s boutique for menswear at Galeries Lafayette in Paris and its pop-up at Harrods in London, bringing his distinctive approach to material and form into the brand’s retail environments.
Layered 2025 | SYSTEM Paris Galeries Lafayette Store
