Strolling down artist’s memory lane

Suh Do Ho’s airy, detailed homes showcased at Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art trigger nostalgia and awe


Studying abroad in the United States was the most difficult but also most important time for Suh Do Ho. Nostalgic about what he left behind but at the same time struggling to fit in, the idea of “home” never left his mind during his stay in the United States and eventually became the major theme of his works.

His torment is visualized in his installation work “Fallen Star ― 1/5th Scale.” The work consists of a “hanok,” or Korean traditional house, apparently parachuted into the scene only to crash into a three-story New York-style house. 

“The hanok is Suh’s parent’s house in Seongbuk-dong, and the three-story house is a reproduction of the house he lived in while he studied in the U.S.,” explained Woo Hye-soo, chief curator at Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art.

Both houses, scaled down to one fifth of the original sizes, are unbelievably minutely detailed. While one side of the house shows the moment of the crash, the other side shows a cut-end of the house, exposing everything inside.

Shiny, finger nail-sized Portmerion dishes are lined up beside the sink in a kitchen someone must have left in the middle of making spaghetti. Paints and crayons are strewn all over another room which seems to be the artist’s sloppy atelier. Every closet, cupboard and refrigerator is crammed with things ― one could explore the incredible mini house forever.

“It could have been easier if I had scaled it down to one sixth, because there are some miniatures produced in that size,” said Suh at the press conference held on Tuesday, hinting that he and his team had to make everything from scratch.

Including the work, Leeum, in Hannam-dong, central Seoul is showcasing 43 of Suh’s representative home-themed installations, sculptures, drawings and videos at his solo exhibition titled “Home Within Home.” Home seems to be a never-ending source of inspiration for the artist who is still living a nomadic life, dividing time among Seoul, New York and London.

The museum’s choice of Suh for the opening exhibition this year is not surprising as he has stood out in the past decade as one of the most internationally acclaimed and active South Korean artists.

After studying painting and sculpture at Rhode Island School of Design and obtaining an M.A. in fine arts at Yale University School of Art, he represented Korea at the 49th Venice Biennale in 2001. He has showcased his works at many prestigious museums and galleries, including the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and the Tate Modern in London.

If the “Fallen Star ― 1/5th Scale” falls into the realism category, other exhibits at “Home Within Home” could be categorized as being close to surrealism.

Houses Suh lived in, such as his parent’s Seongbuk-dong house or the Berlin studio where he stayed for a year, float in the museum, “built” from soft-toned silk in colors like jade and Indian pink.

The 13-meter-tall, blue faade of the New York townhouse the artist lived in, titled “Blueprint,” hangs from the 18-meter-high ceiling in another corner. The work, which was first showcased at the 2010 Venice Architecture Biennale but had to be exhibited laid on the floor due to lack of space, finally found the space to stand upright. 

“I think architecture is an expanded concept of clothing. So I dressed space. Clothes always go with us, like how snails carry their houses on their backs. So in a way, the houses are sort of like self-portraits for me,” said Suh.

“The material naturally had to be fabric because I had to dress the space, and had to carry them around. I think the reason I chose transparent fabric comes from the fact I grew up in a hanok,” he added, agreeing with the curator that the openness of hanok must have inspired him. 

Walking through, or under, the installations evokes a feeling of strolling down streets of many different cities at a single venue, or even, down the artist’s memory lane.

Suh’s delicate handworks shine once again in the hand-sewn silk houses. Everything the apartments came furnished with, such as phones, radiators or toilets, are found there. A section of the show is in fact dedicated to a closer view of details like light bulbs and door knobs. Such elements offer the minimal amount of information he needs to remember the houses again, said the artist.

Though most of the viewers were impressed with his installation works, the artist put emphasis on his video works and documentary films, most of which are being showcased for the first time.

“I hope you enjoy the documentary film. You will get to see what I have been doing during the past few years,” said Suh.

He has no plans currently to turn his future homes into silk installations, but does wish to explore further the genre of video art, he added.

“Home Within Home” runs through June 3 at Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art in Hannam-dong, central Seoul. Tickets range from 7,000 won to 13,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2014-6900 or visit www.leeum.org.

By Park Min-young  (claire@heraldcorp.com)