Seoul Guts
2010

6 light sculptures

Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art


Installation view of Voice over Three, Artsonje Center, Seoul, Korea, 2010
Photos: Kim Sang Tae, Nicolas Pelzer, Ohyul Kwon


Seoul Guts – Golden Holiday
2010

Clothing rack, casters, light bulbs, cable, metal chain, metal rings, seashells, piggybank

188 x 90 x 42 cm


Seoul Guts – Medicine Man
2010

Clothing rack, casters, light bulbs, cable, cord, metal chain, metal rings, rope, bells, dried ginseng, dried garlic, pill box, plastic fruit, massage roller, counter

200 x 100 x 90 cm


Seoul Guts – Faceless Beauty
2010

Clothing rack, casters, light bulbs, cable, knitting yarn, metal chain, metal rings, expander, cosmetic sponge, hair roller, pumice stone, head massager

174 x 76 x 75 cm


Seoul Guts – Allotment Garden
2010

Clothing rack, casters, light bulbs, cable, artificial plants, knitting yarn, knitting needles, cotton, metal chain, metal rings, cane ball, plastic balls, mosquito coil

190 x 90 x 85 cm


Seoul Guts – Washing and Cleaning
2010

Clothing rack, casters, light bulbs, cable, metal chain, metal rings, steel wool, cleaning sponge, cleaning brush, shower sponge, laundry ball, tea strainer, cake pan, stainless steel steamer insert, bento box, sink strainer, plastic funnels, feather duster, toilet tank float

180 x 90 x 90 cm


Seoul Guts – Seoul Dandy
2010

Magazine rack, casters, light bulbs, cable, umbrella, metal chain, metal rings, rope, plastic fruits, mobile phone charms

207 x 90 x 90 cm

 

Yang’s light sculptures are a group of figurative works formed by draping wire, light bulbs, and other everyday objects gathered from various places over clothing racks. While each rack seems to personify a particular individual,
they unfold an expanded narrative as a work group, which resembles a human gathering. The objects—collected from various, far-reaching locations—do not adhere to one another but are connected through an arrangement of rings and hooks, revealing the everydayness and distinctness of each individual piece. The sculptural studio practice of deeply working with the objects, each selected after a sort of material hunting, conveys the artist’s empathy for ordinary individuals’ longing for the values that are predominantly pursued in each local environment. Seoul Guts is an exceptional group of light sculptures solely made with objects collected in Seoul. These absurd accumulations of cellphone charms, cheap massagers, plastic household items, crude makeup implements, decorative artificial plants, and other intimate objects communicate with viewers in a frank, sculptural language. Fake plants reveal longing for harmony with nature, and objects from bathrooms and kitchens speak of a weary everyday existence. Pseudo-medical devices such as peculiar-looking massagers or pill bottles marked with days of the week express concerns about health; bizarre makeup implements draw a frank portrait of appearance- based envy. A vivid expression of the desire and hope interspersed through these collections of makeup sponges, dried ginseng root and gaudy plastic objects, this work is filled with sympathy for the “guts” of the people of Seoul.

(Shooting the Elephant 象Thinking the Elephant Exhibition Catalogue, Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea, 2015)




Exhibition history

Shooting the Elephant 象 Thinking the Elephant, Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea, 2015

Air Hole: Another Conceptualism from Asia, The National Museum of Art, Osaka, Japan, 2011

Closures,
Galerie Barbara Wien, Berlin, Germany, 2010

Voice over Three,
Artsonje Center, Seoul, South Korea, 2010

back to alphabetical order

back to chronological order