Korean sculptor and installation artist Do-Ho Suh explores the notion of home with a dazzling double showcase of new work in Asia. His exhibition at Hong Kong's Lehmann Maupin gallery showcases his signature gem-coloured fabric sculptures under glass: household items rendered priceless with his crafty touch. At the same time, Suh marks the inauguration of Seoul’s National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art with his largest artwork to date, a 1:1 scale replica of two houses he has previously lived in, one inside the other.
The simultaneous shows offer two complementary 'quests' by the artist to explore the theme of personal space. The translucent organza-like polyester highlights in brilliant colour the 'invisible memory' of our daily experiences at home. Suh chose the fabric, a variety once used in traditional Korean summer wear, 'because it was cheap and readily available, and I didn't want to give too much value to the fabric itself'.
In Korea, the vast new space lent Suh a stage of unprecedented size for his full-scale replicas: his childhood home, rendered in purple fabric, suspended within a recreation of his first apartment building located in Rhode Island. The life-sized work measures 12m x 15m - large enough for visitors to walk through for a unique perspective on the artist’s personal space.
The galleries also offered a creative opportunity. 'Huge floor-to-ceiling windows incorporate views of a reconstructed ancient palace that once stood on the same site,' says Suh. 'As you approach the gallery space, my translucent piece is between the viewer and the longer view, so it becomes five homes-within-homes: my two homes inside; the museum; the palace; and then Seoul.'
The works were so large and complex that Suh employed a 3D scanning machine to ensure the dimensions were precise. 'It is the first time I’ve made such a large fabric sculpture,' says the artist. 'It was so challenging, but I think technically we have accumulated so much experience and knowledge that now we could make anything. Even something like the White House.'
Although a series of smaller individual pieces such as a toilet, heater and light switch are on show at Lehmann Maupin Hong Kong, Suh says separating the works draws attention to detail. Explains the artist: 'They are literally specimens, just as the title of the show says.' The gallery, - both similar in size and shaped to Suh’s own apartment - has been painted completely in black, with each piece arranged as if ‘at home’ and illuminated from behind to enhance its transparency.
The works were so large and complex that Suh employed a 3D scanning machine to ensure the dimensions were precise
Says Suh: 'As you approach the gallery space my translucent piece is between the viewer and the longer view, so it becomes five homes-within-homes: my two inside; the museum; the palace; and then Seoul'
The life-sized work measures 12m x 15m; visitors can walk through the installation for a unique perspective on the artist’s personal space
Suh left no detail out of his deftly printed fabric
The vast space offered Suh a new context for the full-scale replica of his traditional Korean childhood home, suspended within a larger reproduction of his first apartment building in Providence
The translucent fabric highlights in brilliant colour the 'invisible memory' of our daily experiences at home
Suh opted for a translucent organza-like polyester, once used for traditional Korean summer wear, because of its low cost and availability
Concurrently, an exhibition of Suh's work at Lehmann Maupin gallery in Hong Kong showcases his signature fabric sculptures of household items
'Specimen Series: 348 West 22nd Street, APT. New York, NY 10011, USA - Bathtub', 2013, stands alone, illuminated from below
In the dark black exhibition space, 'Specimen Series: 348 West 22nd Street, APT. New York, NY 10011, USA - Radiator' (left), 2013 and 'Specimen Series: 348 West 22nd Street, APT. New York, NY 10011, USA - Refrigerator' (right), 2013, sit side by side as they would in the artist's home
Along one wall, miniature objects from his 'Specimen Series' are showcased and ordered by colour
'Specimen Series: 348 West 22nd Street, APT. New York, NY 10011, USA - Toilet', 2013
'Specimen Series: 348 West 22nd Street, APT. New York, NY 10011, USA - Stove', 2013, also features in the Hong Kong show
A closer look at 'Specimen Series: 348 West 22nd Street, APT. New York, NY 10011, USA - Medicine Cabinet', 2013
-
A first look inside the new Oxford Street Ikea. Spoiler: blue bags and meatballs are includedThe new Oxford Street Ikea opens tomorrow (1 May), giving Londoners access to the Swedish furniture brand right in the heart of the city
-
For the 2025 Eurovision theme art, Swiss design principles get a glow-upLondon-based branding agency NOT Wieden+Kennedy marries graphic design history and exuberance in its theme art for this year's song contest
-
Ten low-pro sneakers that capture footwear’s new streamlined moodSuper-flat soles, narrowed silhouettes: the low-profile sneaker is this season’s defining footwear style. Here, the Wallpaper* style team selects its favourites
-
Inside Jack Whitten’s contribution to American contemporary artAs Jack Whitten exhibition ‘Speedchaser’ opens at Hauser & Wirth, London, and before a major retrospective at MoMA opens next year, we explore the American artist's impact
-
Frieze Sculpture takes over Regent’s ParkTwenty-two international artists turn the English gardens into a dream-like landscape and remind us of our inextricable connection to the natural world
-
Harlem-born artist Tschabalala Self’s colourful ode to the landscape of her childhoodTschabalala Self’s new show at Finland's Espoo Museum of Modern Art evokes memories of her upbringing, in vibrant multi-dimensional vignettes
-
Wanås Konst sculpture park merges art and nature in SwedenWanås Konst’s latest exhibition, 'The Ocean in the Forest', unites land and sea with watery-inspired art in the park’s woodland setting
-
Pino Pascali’s brief and brilliant life celebrated at Fondazione PradaMilan’s Fondazione Prada honours Italian artist Pino Pascali, dedicating four of its expansive main show spaces to an exhibition of his work
-
John Cage’s ‘now moments’ inspire Lismore Castle Arts’ group showLismore Castle Arts’ ‘Each now, is the time, the space’ takes its title from John Cage, and sees four artists embrace the moment through sculpture and found objects
-
Gerhard Richter unveils new sculpture at Serpentine SouthGerhard Richter revisits themes of pattern and repetition in ‘Strip-Tower’ at London’s Serpentine South
-
Peter Blake’s sculptures spark joy at Waddington Custot in London‘Peter Blake: Sculpture and Other Matters’, at London's Waddington Custot, spans six decades of the artist's career
