Korean artist Do-Ho Suh's work looks like eye candy, but reads like a masterpiece. Every sculpture is intricately crafted to raise questions about individuality and anonymity. In our contemporary, overpopulated world, is it even possible to stand out, or are we all part of a collective machine? In many of his deceptively simple sculptures, thousands of singular pieces are linked together to form one overarching statement.
Following two years of mandatory military service in Korea, thousands of dog tags were fashioned together to form the shape of an Emperor's Robe for Suh's piece, Some/One.
Suh's experience in the military led to a slew of works questioning the indentity of the individual in the face of a regiment that essentially seeks to efface identity.
Screen
Paratrooper
Who Am We?
Cause and Effect
Another piece from his Paratrooper series features embroidered signatures on a parachute.
Floor
Suh's mastery of space and the interaction of objects with their environments led him to create a series of pieces that question the nature of identity in a different way. His architectural works crafted from silk or nylon and steel tubing center on the idea of home as a structure and a concept.
Seoul Home/LA Home/New York Home/Baltimore Home/London Home/Seattle Home, reflects Suh's status as a transient being. After growing up in Korea, he moved to New York, and now frequently travels to promote his work.
Perfect Home II
Reflection
Staircase
I appreciate the tactile quality of Suh's work as much as I appreciate the clarity and complexity of his vision. And it doesn't hurt that he likes to read Cabinet, Dwell, and the sadly defunct Blueprint, either. Who says you can't be pretty and smart?
(Photos courtesy of Lehmann Maupin Gallery and Designboom.)