About 1 month ago, I braved the thunderstorms to attend the Frieze Art Fair, the New York iteration of the London-based contemporary art extravaganza. Being jaded as this was the umpteenth art fair of the year, I was delighted by the quantity and quality of the material exhibited by the many international galleries in attendance.

One of my favorite art pieces, was the work of Korean-born and American-trained artist Do Ho Suh (b. 1962) represented by the Lehmann Maupin Gallery of New York and Hong Kong. Perhaps it’s my love for crafting interiors that drew me to his work like a moth to a flame.

Do Ho Suh is interested in the malleability of space both physically and metaphorically.  His sculptural fabric installations of translucent nylon/polyester/silk over metal skeletons on the one hand are inspired by the notions of home where he questions the boundaries of the inhabited space.  But on the other hand, his installations explore the nomadic existence of living in a major urban capital and all that it entails.  Suh himself has lived in Seoul, Berlin and New York, which has helped heighten his sense of physical boundaries. Several of these sculptures represent his own living quarters in these cities.

Do Ho Suh’s work is represented in many contemporary museums around the world, including the TATE in London and MOMA in New York.  He represented Korea at the 2001 Venice Art Biennale and in the 2010 Venice Architecture Biennale.

richard rabel
principal
richard rabel: interiors + art
interior design and art advising
new york city

image credits: Do Ho Suh courtesy of designboom and his dealer, Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York and Hong Kong