GWON Osang

GWON Osang (b. 1974) is a sculptor who has constantly questioned the identity of sculpture and tried to converge new experimental media into new form structure. His varied approach for exploring the existence of sculptures is composed of five series, Deodorant Type, The Sculpture, The Flat, New Structure, and Relief. The "deodorant type" was shaped in ‘ISO-pink(hardened Styrofoam)’ to break the notion that sculpture must be heavy, and the outer edges were covered with hundreds of photographs directly taken or collected for supporting light sculptures and expanded the sculpture while presenting new materials.

"The Sculpture" is a series that unravels the meaning of traditional sculptures that try to realize the ideal of the time in the closest proximity to reality. Considering the definition of sculpture by using bronze, a traditional material of sculpture, to bring the high-value consumers, the ideal of the 21st century such as Lamborghini and Bugatti, close to the actual shape but makes the surface treatment which has not been refined, unlike the traditional method. "New Structure" is a series of works that have been expanded to three dimensions by adding Alexander Calder's Stabile concept to the "Flat" series. The series, which mainly occupies spaces with aluminum structures, adds to the characteristics of existing image acquisition and placement, and questions the relationship between sculpture and space through the perspective of the artist who travels between 2D and 3D. The latest series, "Relief," is a new method of traditional carving, by building the two-dimensional plane in three dimensions, after realizing the exclusive image collection and arrangement on a flat, original version.

GWON Osang has held solo & collaborative exhibitions at Ilmin Museum of Art (Seoul, Korea), Suwon Museum of Art (Suwon, Korea) in 2022; TYPE (Seoul, Korea) in 2021; Arario Gallery Shanghai (Shanghai, China), Arario Gallery Seoul (Seoul, Korea), and Hermès Sydney (Sydney, Australia) in 2016; Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum (Okinawa, Japan) in 2015; HADA Contemporary (London, UK) in 2013; and Manchester Art Gallery (Manchester, UK) in 2008. The artist has participated in group exhibitions at the V&A Museum (London, UK), Hite Collection (Seoul, Korea), The Shophouse (Hong Kong) in 2022; the Seoul National University Museum of Art (Seoul, Korea) in 2021; Daelim Museum (Seoul, Korea) and Pohang Museum of Steel Art (Pohang, Korea) in 2020; LOTTE Museum (Seoul, Korea) in 2019; Arario Gallery Seoul (Seoul, Korea) in 2018; MMCA, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Seoul, Korea) in 2015; SAM, Singapore Art Museum (Downtown Core, Singapore) and Busan Biennale (Busan, Korea) in 2014; Saatchi Gallery (London, UK) in 2010; Burger Collection (Berlin, Germany) in 2009; Asia Triennial Manchester (Manchester, UK) in 2008; MAMbo, Museo d'Arte Moderna di Bologna (Bologna, Italy) in 2004; and Foam, Fotografiemuseum (Amsterdam, Netherlands) in 2003. GWON has also collaborated with a variety of brands, including Riot Games, Jaguar, BMW, and Hermès to present contemporary art closer to the public.