Do Ho Suh Brings His Contemporary Vision to the Voorlinden Museum

Photo: Antoine van Kaam. © Do Ho Suh

South Korean artist Do Ho Suh is bringing his evocative architectural installations to the Netherlands for the first time. For his solo exhibition at the Voorlinden Museum, the artist continues his musings on space, home, and migration through a wide variety of artworks. Deeply personal, his art is a reflection of his own life experiences after having left South Korea to continue his art education in the United States. By mixing and matching techniques, he’s able to give visitors a full experience that leaves them pondering their own place in the world.

Highlights include a wide variety of Do Ho Suh’s textile houses, which are replicas of his own residences in different countries. He refers to these foldable sculptures as “suitcase homes,” as they both physically and mentally accompany him on his journey through life. The interconnected structures form a timeline of his life, each space having its own significance and memories attached. Connecting them are corridors and stairwells, which reflect life’s transitional moments.

“I see life as a passageway, with no fixed beginning or destination,” the artist shares. “We tend to focus on the destination all the time and forget about the in-between spaces.”

Photo: Antoine van Kaam. © Do Ho Suh, courtesy the artist, Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong and Seoul; and Victoria Miro, London / Venice

These installations, coupled with scale models, drawings, and videos, give a holistic look at the celebrated artist’s career. To complement his jewel-toned architectural installations, Do Ho Suh’s Rubbing/Loving project explores space from another angle. The artist covers an entire room in paper and then, after coating them in pencil and pastel, uses his fingers to trace the contours of the room. In this way, he renders the invisible visible and asks the public to recognize the impact of these silent boundaries.

“Do Ho Suh accomplishes something that is possible only in dreams. He connects different places and times with one another in enchanting, breathtaking installations,” explains Suzanne Swarts, Voorlinden Museum director. “Suh manages to give physical expression to the way in which we carry the memory of spaces within us. He makes us aware of the physical and psychological aspects of a space.”

Do Ho Suh’s exhibition is on display at the Voorlinden Museum in Wassenaar, a suburb of The Hague, until September 29, 2019.

South Korean artist Do Ho Suh has brought his architectural installation to the Netherlands for the first time.

Photo: Antoine van Kaam. © Do Ho Suh, courtesy the artist, Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong and Seoul; and Victoria Miro, London / Venice

These replicas of his homes in different countries play with ideas of space, memory, and belonging.

Photo: Antoine van Kaam. © Do Ho Suh, courtesy of the artist, Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong and Seoul; and Victoria Miro, London / Venice

Photo: Antoine van Kaam. © Do Ho Suh, courtesy the artist, Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong and Seoul; and Victoria Miro, London / Venice

Photo: Antoine van Kaam. © Do Ho Suh, courtesy the artist, Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong and Seoul; and Victoria Miro, London / Venice

The comprehensive solo exhibition also includes drawings, scale models, and video.

Photo: Antoine van Kaam.

Photo: Antoine van Kaam.

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by the Voorlinden Museum.

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