I just ran across the riveting and off-kilter work by Korean artist Osang Gwon. Gwon makes these intriguing sculptures by covering styrofoam figures with detailed photographs of his subjects.
Originally trained as a sculptor, which means working with stone and metal, Gwon found that the heavy materials hurt his back, so he came up with a process involving styrofoam and paper. The inventive artist photographs the part of the body that he feels is the most important, and then works from there until the form is completely documented. After Gwon glues the photos in place, he uses an epoxy resin to varnish and seal the final work.
When asked by Flavorwire whether he was commenting on his generation, or a particular aspect of contemporary society, Gwon responded, “I’m commenting on contemporary society, which is filtered through the advertisements of today. My Flat series uses products, such as watches, make-up, and jewelry, that are cut out of magazines, set up with a small wire, and photographed as a massive installation. I see the process as sculptural. There is a play between the two-dimensional and the three-dimensional in both bodies of work.”
About his woman with the chainsaw piece (see the image below), Gwon says he was inspired by, “advertisements from Diesel and lots of music videos of women touting chainsaws. It’s a contemporary interpretation of women warriors. I was very intrigued by the pose.”
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