Ferrari 12Cilindri Tailor Made by COOL HUNTING: TaeHyun Lee
Meet the first artist on our narrative arc from heritage to innovation
TaeHyun Lee tests the boundaries of time, history and architecture with heritage. His works are iterations of his own philosophy and lived experience, grounded in the belief that materials are alive, not inert, each carrying a record of trauma, endurance and transformation.
At the centre of his work stands lacquer—a material defined by paradox. To harvest it, the tree must be cut and bled. From this wound emerges a resin that is toxic in its raw state, a bitter secretion defending the tree against intrusion. Once exposed to air and time, the substance cures into a luminous surface, impermeable and protective, endowed with the ability to preserve rather than repel. Each drop is scarce, amounting to only a handful of grams per year, and has long been compared to the “sacredness” of blood. To work with lacquer is to enter a rhythm of injury and healing, of patience, repetition and survival.
Slow and mindful in its application, lacquer offers a paradox for the 12Cilindri’s paddle shifters and brake calipers. For Lee, repetition and waiting are not obstacles to creation but the very ground from which innovation, resilience and beauty emerge. In lacquer, he finds not just a medium but a philosophy: a way of showing that what dazzles in the present is often the fruit of patience, deep endurance and the paradox of wounds that harden into strength.
As we celebrate the 23rd anniversary of COOL HUNTING, we’ve evolved from just sharing stories to creating things to tell stories about and the Ferrari 12Cilindri Tailor Made is our proudest achievement thus far. We’ve built a bridge between Korea and Italy, another between art and automotive and a third from past to future. Learn more about the project here.
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