The art world has an obsession with defining that which inhabits it. This need to classify, to label, is so extreme that when an artist comes along and rattles the foundations of traditional definition, it’s bound to cause some controversy.
It happened with Monet, it happened with Warhol, and most recently of all, it happened to Gwon Osang.
The year was 1999, and Gwon, still a student at the time, debuted his first photo-sculpture in his homeland of South Korea. The unique style, so unlike anything that had come before, left critics astounded. They demanded to know whether Gwon considered his work photography or sculpture, and why he had made the decision to fuse the two mediums together in such a scandalous way.
Why? The answer was both personal and practical. Gwon had been training as a sculptor, but had a fondness for photography. Why should he not find a way to bring his two interests together? This thinking led to the practical component that set Gwon’s work apart from that of his peers. Generally, sculptures were created from such materials as wood or bronze, but Gwon found them to heavy and rigid. First constructing his work in the fashion of paper-mâché, then with a polystyrene frame, he found a way to make lightweight creations without substituting quality.
Osang’s first solo show took place in 2001 at Seoul’s Insa Art Space, and reflected the culmination of two years worth of experimentation and innovation. Entitled Deodorant Type – a term that would come to define the entire style – 1000s of images were used to create the installation, with each individual sculpture taking two months to build. It would travel around the world, from Beijing to London, Paris to New York.
Four years later came The Flat, which created sculptures out of 2D images derived from magazines or the internet as a critique of consumer culture that is especially prevalent in the Seo Taiji, or second baby-boomer generation that he was born into. The sculptures are then arranged and photographed, with the resulting image taunting viewers with its blend of 2D and 3D perspective.
The subjects for Gwon’s work mainly derive from his circle of associates, but each is very different. There’s the motorcycle instructor, the world-leading model, and even a dishwasher from the Manchester Art Gallery, where Gwon took up residency in 2007. This close connection does not stop Gwon from considering himself an objective artist, and perhaps this plays a large part in why his work has been commissioned by the likes of Nike, Fendi, and British band Keane, for whom he created the cover art of Perfect Symmetry.
His most recent collaboration has seen him unite with French high fashion house Hermès to create a range of work now on display in the windows of their Sydney flagship store. Tying in with the 2016 theme of Nature in Full Gallop, Gwon spent eight months constructing a line of sculptures that incorporated animals, esteemed Korean model S.J. Park, and some of the company’s most iconic products, like the Bolide 45 Shark Bag from the autumn/winter 2016 collection, and the legendary Birkin.
Keep an eye out in the coming weeks as we go behind the scenes at the unveiling of Hermès’ The Art of the Image_New Sculpture installation to talk with Gwon Osang about his work, and collaboration with the iconic company.
Those in Sydney can view the installation now at the Hermès flagship store on the corner of Market St. and Elizabeth St.