brilliant 30: Osang Gwon
Artist combining mediums of photo and sculpture
Osang Gwon, utilizes imagery of advertisements to interpret the reality
Osang Gwon's works may be called "photo-sculpture", hovering somewhere between the two mediums. Gwon's work to date can be treated as a progressive series, illustrating his goals as an artist. His best-known series, entitled <Deodorant Type> (perhaps a play on Daguerreotype - the name for the first images produced with a camera), is composed from fragments of photographs of the human body; and tries to reveal the defects that lie beneath superficial appearance. Deodorant,used to temporarily conceal the smell of sweat, acts as a metaphor for a temporary optical trick which blurs the boundary between reality and illusion in his work. The series which followed, <The Flat>, emphasized the meaninglessness of images of luxury and commercial products in the real world. In order to do so, the products were removed from their usual context of glossy magazines. In turn, and in Gwon's own words reflecting on the peculiarity of this medium, 'The Sculpture' series makes actual, tangible objects "appear unreal."
As can be seen in <The Sculpture II (2005)>, a bronze cast of a Lamborghini Murcielago painted over with oils, Osang Gwon produces work by synthesizing images drawn from media, rather than from real life. Advertising is the prism of capitalist popular culture, and has become a medium through which artists can connect with diverse contemporary audiences. For Gwon both ‘commercial products’ and ‘works of art’ are for consumption and the images for his work have been appropriated from Gucci, Ungaro and Diesel advertisements in magazines to deliver an image of the present day, the contemporary society. Although his work cannot be easily categorized as sculpture or photography, the fragments of imagery applied to the surfaces of Gwon's sculptures compels his audience to contemplate the truth or fiction inherent in images, as well as to ask "What then, is sculpture?"
Interview
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Q. Your photo-sculpture seems to have paved the way for the popularity of photo-collage in Korea. What made you pursue this new kind of work in the first place?
For me, it began in 1998 when I was still a university student, and made an exhibition debut in Seoul a year later. The traditional and organic materials used in my classes, for example tree branches and rocks, were too heavy to work with. I wanted to create lighter sculpture, both physically and metaphorically.
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Q. Why did you choose photography?
I would say that it was because the images of artworks we encounter in art magazines, I was subscribed to one since my childhood, are so overwhelming. Readershipsin Korea grow up encountering the reproduced images before they even see the actual artwork. To me, this seems to be a contemporary condition - seeing things first through a camera lens, then in their original form with our own eyes.
Q. Can you explain your process in detail?
When <Deodorant Type> first came out, the structure was hollow. As the piece grew, light-weight materials such as aluminum props and polyethylene became necessary to support the interior framework. Initially, when it was only photographic paper supporting the frame, it led to its partial crumpling or distortion. More recently, the sculptural forms have a layer of coated plastic on the surface to support them and this makes them more durable. What is very important to me is that the flatness of the photographs is maintained, which isn't easy to do. I must say, though, that it would be a big misunderstanding to focus only on the combination of photography and sculpture when introducing my work.
Q. What are your greatest inspirations?
I am quite invested in mystery novels and mysteries in general. I am also interested in insights of the yin-yang and five elements, along with the zodiac signs and astrology. But I do not deliver them as they are; rather, they are included more subtly in my works. The images are mainly frommasterpieces in art history oradvertisements and TV news.
I want to show the here and now in which I live. Urban dwellers are constantly exposed to consumer culture via advertising. My works combine fine art with consumer culture in order to demonstrate this contemporary state. - Osang Gwon -
Q. While the combined form of photography and sculpture is a new genre, the images are closely related to commercial advertising campaigns, for example, in magazines. Is this an intended strategy?
I want to show the here and now in which I live. Urban dwellers are constantly exposed to consumer culture via advertising. My works combine fine art with consumer culture in order to demonstrate this contemporary state. It allows more people to see my work and to relate to it outside the usual exhibition channels, I have collaborated with the brands Fendi and Nike and the English rock band Keane, for this reason.
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Q. Your background in sculpture has made you very adept at transforming flat photographs into three-dimensional structures. In addition, your use of color is outstanding,an aspect other sculptors might neglect. What would you say about this?
When I was an art school student, I studied nearly every medium, and I feel that has helped a lot. I have consistently pursued the sort of colorful images printed in art magazines, as we mentioned. I think color is significant for the contemporary eye, saturated daily as it is with a riot of flamboyant advertising.
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Q. Have you set a direction for your future work?
I am very curious of it myself. Currently, I am considering many different things. I remain interested in traditional sculpture, but I am also very much interested in how to create works that are simple and do not involve a complicated process, and yet very visually compelling.
Introduction to <brilliant 30>, leading you to 30 inspirations of young artist
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<New Structure View 1,2,3>
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<New Structure 1 Lamp & Stairs>
Inkjet Print, Aluminum_214 x 350 x 165 cm_2014
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<New Structure 2 Shoes and Pineapple>
Inkjet Print, Aluminum_110 x 180 x 197 cm_2014
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<New Structure 3 Broccoli & Fork>
Inkjet Print, Aluminum_150 x 115 x 178 cm_2014
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<2011, October>
Lightjet Print, Wood Frame_154x105cm_2011-2012
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<2005 June A>
Lightjet Print, Wood Frame_228x188cm_2010
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<2005 June B>
Lightjet Print, Wood Frame_228x188cm_2010
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<The Flat 1>
Diasec on Lightjet Print_120x150cm_2003
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<The Flat 2>
Diasec on Lightjet Print_120x150cm_2003
Profile
Osang Gwon received his BA and MA from the Hongik University Sculpture
Department. Working as a full-time artist since his undergrad years and often at the forefront of attention, Gwon created hybrid works combining sculpture and photography, reflecting upon a contemporary society full of imagery and information - itself a hybrid world. Gwon blurs the boundaries between the second and third dimensions, actual object and the image, with a process which vacillates between the flatness of photography and the three-dimensional nature of sculpture. The Deodorant Type' series reorganizes vision by adding photographs to the surface of sculpture; 'The Flat' series
which follows reconstitutes various images taken from magazines. The artist has held solo exhibitions in Korea and abroad including at the Manchester Art Gallery (England), Hada Contemporary Art Gallery (London, England), Aando Fine Arts (Berlin, Germany), Galerie d'Art Joyce (Paris, France) and has participated in more than sixty group exhibitions since 1999.
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