Do Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh
In exquisitely made works, Do Ho Suh explores contemporary arrangements of space and the unstable boundaries of its categorisation along lines of individuality and collectivity, physicality and immateriality, mobility and fixity. Influenced by his peripatetic existence – leaving his native South Korea to study and live in the United States, he has more recently moved between New York, Seoul and London – an enduring theme of the artist's practice is the connection between the individual and the group across global cultures. The multiplicity of individuality is tested through meditative processes of repetition: whether interlinked along a lattice of fishing nets, amassed into monumental tornado-like forms, absent from ranks of empty uniforms, or present in every yearbook photo taken at the artist's high school over 60 years, the artist uses the reproduced human figure to explore sensitively, and with spectacular formal effect, the ways in which personal space inherently extends into the collective sphere.
It is with the same elegant economy of conceptual means, focusing on simple yet transformative acts of repetition, that Suh treats the complex psychological and physical architectural structures of the concept of 'home'. In work for which he is widely known, the artist meticulously constructs proportionally exact replicas of dwelling places, architectural features, or household appliances – kitchen sinks, toilets and microwaves – from stitched planes of translucent, coloured polyester fabric. Often reflections of places the artist has inhabited, such as his childhood home or Western apartments, these delicately precise, weightless impressions seem to exist between imagination and reality. Suh has spoken of the distinctive openness to the environment of Korean homes; more than repositories of personal memory or nostalgic projections, his works respond to the indistinct boundaries between psychic interior and objective exterior, which make of home an ongoing lived function rather than a physical structure.
Constructed much like items of clothing, Suh's portable modules of space were designed to be packed in his suitcase as he travelled between continents, the artist's own personal peripatetic history bleeding into the universalised nomadism of a globalised world. Transitory, connecting spaces – corridors, staircases, bridges, gateways – feature often in the artist's drawings and sculptural installations: rather than borders, Suh is fascinated with the linking spaces through which the body travels between cultures. In this international era, the house is a protective mantle transformed by its arrivals in different contexts: in different works, homes from different stages of the artist's life nest one inside the other in differently coloured swathes of fabric, or come dramatically into collision in painstakingly constructed models.
This coexistence, which belies simplistic conceptions of cultural authenticity, is further investigated in Suh's large-scale public interventions in cities. With a mobile hotel, parked daily in the neglected gaps of urban fabric, and compact dwellings perched incongruously on existing tower blocks or sandwiched precariously between two neighbouring buildings as if having landed haphazardly after a long journey, the artist considers notions of organisation, proximity and belonging in a networked world.
Born in 1962 in South Korea, Do Ho Suh received a BFA in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design and a MFA in sculpture from Yale University. He currently lives and works in London. Suh was named the Wall Street Journal Magazine’s 2013 Innovator of the Year in Art and was recently awarded the 2017 Ho-Am Prize, which is regarded as Korea’s equivalent to the Nobel Prize. He represented Korea at the 49th Venice Biennale in 2001, and has staged numerous recent international solo exhibitions and site-specific projects at institutional venues including: LACMA, Los Angeles, USA (2019); V&A, London, UK (2019); Museum Voorlinden, The Netherlands (2019); ARoS, Aarhus, Denmark [2018]; Frist Centre for the Visual Arts, Nashville, USA [2018]; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, USA (2018); Bildmuseet, Sweden (2018); Contemporary Arts Centre, Cincinnati (2016); MOCA Cleveland (2015–2016), travelling to MCA San Diego (2016); The Contemporary Austin, Texas (2014); National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea (2013); 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan (2012 - 2013 and 2005); Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima, Japan (2012); University of San Diego, California (2012); Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea (2012); Seattle Art Museum, Washington (2011 and 2003) and Tate Modern, London (2011). The artist has participated in the Singapore Biennale (2016), 8th Gwangju Biennale (2012), 12th Venice Architecture Biennale (2010), and 6th Liverpool Biennial (2010). The first survey exhibition of Do Ho Suh's work in Europe was presented at the Serpentine Gallery, London in 2002.
Suh's work is included in numerous museum collections worldwide including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Tate, London; Leeum, Seoul; Artsonje Center, Seoul; National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; Mori Art Museum, Tokyo; and 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, among many others.
A film by Do Ho Suh was commissioned by the V&A as part of its presentation Robin Hood Gardens: A Ruin in Reverse at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition, in collaboration with La Biennale di Venezia, 2018. The film was featured in Chicago Architecture Biennial, Chicago, USA (19 Sep 2019–5 Jan 2020).
International Programme
In Focus – Do Ho Suh: Tracing Time
A rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse of Do Ho Suh at work in his London studio. In this new short film by Gautier Deblonde, Suh talks about his approach to drawing, as informed by Korean cultural traditions, and the background to his Spectators series — some of which feature in his forthcoming exhibition Tracing Time, opening 17 February 2024 at Modern One, National Galleries Scotland, Edinburgh.
Related
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Exhibition
Posted
September 6 2024
Do Ho Suh: In Process at Moody Center for the Arts
The first presentation of its kind by Do Ho Suh (on view 6 September–21 December 2024) forgoes the formalities of a traditional exhibition in favor of presenting a studio-like space for research and collaboration. Houston, Texas -
Interview
Posted
September 4 2024
Do Ho Suh is interviewed by ArtReview
The artist reflects on the ideas and processes that feature in Speculations, on view at Art Sonje Center until 3 November 2024. Mark Rappolt, ArtReview -
Interview
Posted
August 29 2024
Do Ho Suh talks to the Financial Times
The artist imagines a bridge between the US, UK and South Korea in his current exhibition, Speculations, at Art Sonje Center in Seoul. Andy St Louis, Financial Times -
Exhibition
Posted
July 24 2024
Do Ho Suh: Speculations at Art Sonje Center, Seoul
On view 17 August–3 November 2024, the exhibition provides an overview of the Speculations series, which the artist has been working on since 2005. Seoul, South Korea -
Exhibition
Posted
May 30 2024
Just announced – a major survey exhibition of Do Ho Suh to open at Tate Modern in May 2025
On view 1 May–26 October 2025, this major survey exhibition explores the breadth and depth of Suh’s inventive and unique practice over the last three decades, including new and site-specific works on display for the first time. Tate Modern, London -
Exhibition
Posted
May 3 2024
Chantal Joffe and Do Ho Suh create work for Drawing Room’s Drawing Biennial 2024
The exhibition and auction showcases around 300 drawings by artists who have generously donated works in support of Drawing Room’s mission. Drawing Room/Tannery Arts, London -
Exhibition
Posted
April 23 2024
Do Ho Suh: Public Figures goes on long-term display at the National Museum of Asian Art
From 27 April 2024, a special edition of the artist’s Public Figures will be on view at Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, Washington, DC. Washington, DC -
Exhibition
Posted
April 15 2024
Every Island is a Mountain, featuring Do Ho Suh, at Palazzo Malta, Venice
A thirtieth anniversary exhibition (19 April - 8 September 2024) celebrating the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, unites 36 artists who have participated in the Venice Biennale over the years, showcasing the evolution of Korean art. Palazzo Malta, Venice -
Review
Posted
March 10 2024
Laura Cumming reviews Do Ho Suh: Tracing Time
★★★★★ ‘The theme of this extraordinarily beautiful exhibition at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh is perfectly simple yet unendingly complex – the enigma of home.’ – Laura Cumming Laura Cumming, The Observer -
Interview
Posted
February 21 2024
Do Ho Suh talks to The Art Newspaper about his major exhibition Tracing Time at National Galleries of Scotland
‘Most of [the drawings] are questioning very profound things… They capture the essence of my thoughts.’ Susan Mansfield, The Art Newspaper -
Exhibition
Posted
February 15 2024
Do Ho Suh: Tracing Time at National Galleries of Scotland
This expansive exhibition (17 February–1 September 2024) explores the foundational role that drawing and paper play in Do Ho Suh’s artistic practice, focusing on his collaborative methods, experimental techniques, and innovative use of materials. Modern One, Edinburgh -
Exhibition
Posted
February 6 2024
Do Ho Suh: Portal, now on long-term display at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Do Ho Suh recreates the architectural details of a traditional Korean gate from his family home into the negative space of solid acrylic blocks, creating a 'living ghost image' that is just beyond reach.' Houston, Texas -
Interview
Posted
February 10 2023
Do Ho Suh talks to KoozArch
‘I love that term – un-built art – because it speaks to my interest in using the built environment to communicate something about memory and subjectivity’ KoozArch -
Exhibition
Posted
November 29 2022
A major solo exhibition by Do Ho Suh announced at the National Galleries of Scotland for 2023/24
The exhibition will explore the foundational role that drawing and paper play in Suh’s artistic practice, focusing on his collaborative methods, experimental techniques, and innovative use of materials. -
Exhibition
Posted
November 4 2022
Do Ho Suh at MCA Australia
Spanning three decades, from the 1990s to now, the exhibition (opens 4 November 2022) presents emblematic works across a wide range of media that include large-scale installations, sculptures, drawings, printmaking, and video works. MCA Australia, Sydney -
Commission
Posted
November 4 2022
Do Ho Suh creates a new pocket Tube map cover
The London-based artist has created an embroidered facsimile of the iconic Tube map design focusing on the routes that he habitually uses around his home and studio. -
Profile
Posted
August 31 2022
Do Ho Suh is profiled by Frieze
‘Home is what we carry with us,’ – Do Ho Suh. Read a profile of the artist by Lucy Ives. Lucy Ives, Frieze -
Profile
Posted
August 30 2022
Do Ho Suh in The New York Times
Do Ho Suh is profiled by Ted Loos for The New York Times. Ted Loos, The New York Times -
Exhibition
Posted
April 30 2022
Do Ho Suh at Kistefos Museum
The exhibition (30 April–21 August 2022) comprises a lifesize installation of the artist's colourful hub series together with film and large-scale wall-works. Jevnaker, Norway -
Exhibition
Posted
July 28 2021
Do Ho Suh: Proposal for Sach'ŏnwang-sa. at London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE
Inspired by the resonance between the Roman Temple of Mithras and an ancient Korean Temple, the new commission (on view 28 July 2021–22 January 2022) examines memory, psychic space and modes of survival. London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE -
Interview
Posted
July 12 2021
Apollo Magazine: In the studio with… Do Ho Suh
The artist talks to Apollo ahead of a new installation at the London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE, opening later this month, that considers the parallels between the Roman site and the ancient Korean temple of Sach’ŏnwang-sa. Apollo Magazine -
Exhibition
Posted
May 18 2021
Portable Sculpture featuring Do Ho Suh at Henry Moore Institute
This major exhibition (18 May–29 August 2021) brings together fifteen artists, with work from 1934 to the present day on display and explores sculptures that are deliberately designed to fold up, or pack down, or that have been made while on the move. Henry Moore Institute, Leeds -
Gallery Exhibition
24 February - 30 April 2021
The Sky was Blue the Sea was Blue and the Boy was Blue
An exhibition of work by 19 artists celebrating the colour blue, available online and on Vortic as part of The London Collective. Victoria Miro on Vortic -
Exhibition
Posted
February 16 2020
Isaac Julien and Do Ho Suh feature in When Home Won’t Let You Stay: Migration through Contemporary Art opening at Minneapolis Institute of Art
The exhibition (23 February–24 May 2020) considers how contemporary artists are responding to the migration, immigration, and displacement of peoples today. Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minnesota -
News story
Posted
February 11 2020
The Art Newspaper’s top shows to see during Frieze LA, featuring Howardena Pindell and Do Ho Suh
TAN's selections include MOCA's With Pleasure: Pattern and Decoration in American Art 1972-1985, featuring Howardena Pindell, and Do Ho Suh's 348 West 22nd Street, on view at Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The Art Newspaper -
Exhibition
Posted
February 6 2020
As reported in The New York Times, Seattle Asian Art Museum reopens, featuring an installation by Do Ho Suh
Reopening on 8 February 2020, the newly renovated and expanded Asian Art Museum offers a thematic exploration of art from the world’s largest continent. Seattle, Washington -
Profile
Posted
November 11 2019
Paul Laster profiles Do Ho Suh for Whitehot Magazine
When Do Ho Suh broke onto the New York art scene in the late-1990s, you could tell a star was born. A graduate of Seoul National University, Rhode Island School of Design and Yale University, Suh mines the traditions of his Korean heritage while reflecting on his personal experiences. Paul Laster, Whitehot Magazine -
Exhibition
Posted
October 16 2019
Do Ho Suh: 348 West 22nd Street at LACMA
A recent gift to LACMA, 348 West 22nd Street (on view from 10 November 2019) replicates the artist’s ground-floor residence from a single New York building. LACMA, Los Angeles, California -
Film
Posted
October 12 2019
A behind-the-scenes look at Ruby City
A short film of Ruby City, San Antonio, Texas, featuring works by Wangechi Mutu, Do Ho Suh and interview with Isaac Julien, whose immersive video installation Playtime is one of the opening programme's exhibitions. Ruby City, San Antonio, Texas -
Exhibition
Posted
October 7 2019
Wangechi Mutu and Do Ho Suh feature in Ruby City’s inaugural exhibition Waking Dream
Mirroring the interests and character of Pace herself, Waking Dream (13 October 2019–2022) underscores several themes reflected in the Linda Pace Foundation Collection, including the creative self, notions of home, vulnerability and resilience. San Antonio, Texas -
Exhibition
Posted
September 17 2019
Do Ho Suh and Stephen Willats feature in the Chicago Architecture Biennial
Titled …and other such stories, the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial (19 September 2019–5 January 2020) traces dialogues between various practices and the questions they raise across global communities, cities, territories, and ecologies. Chicago, Illinois -
Exhibition
Posted
August 22 2019
Do Ho Suh: Robin Hood Gardens at the V&A
Suh’s panoramic film (on view 7 September–13 October 2019) uses time-lapse photography, drone footage, 3D-scanning and photogrammetry to create a visual journey in which the camera ceaselessly pans through and around the building. V&A, London -
Exhibition
Posted
May 17 2019
Do Ho Suh at Museum Voorlinden
An exhibition (18 May–22 September 2019) of drawings, sculptures, video work and installations continuing the artist's exploration of how we relate to where we live and shifting definitions of 'home'. Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar, The Netherlands -
News story
Posted
March 24 2019
Do Ho Suh: Almost Home was the most visited contemporary exhibition of 2018
As reported by The Art Newspaper, the exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (16 March–5 August 2018) drew an average of 7,853 visitors a day. The Art Newspaper -
Event
Posted
December 5 2018
Do Ho Suh: Spotlight Talk at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
In this Spotlight Talk, (25 January 2019) Suh discusses his sculptural practice, with special focus on the work Some/One, installed in the museum’s Contemporary Art Gallery. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas -
News story
Posted
November 11 2018
The Art Newspaper reports that Do Ho Suh’s Bridging Home, London will remain on view until March 2020
'Korean artist Do Ho Suh’s replica of a Korean house and surrounding bamboo garden (Bridging Home, London), installed on a footbridge at Wormwood Street in central London, will remain in situ for another 16 months.' Gareth Harris, The Art Newspaper -
Exhibition
Posted
November 10 2018
Do Ho Suh – Corridor at ARoS, Denmark
An installation (10 November 2018–17 February 2019) of Do Ho Suh's Hub works – transitory, connecting spaces between rooms that speak metaphorically about movement between cultures and the blurring of public and private, as well as reflecting on the passage of the artist’s own life. ARoS, Aarhus, Denmark -
Exhibition
Posted
October 12 2018
Do Ho Suh: Specimens at Frist Art Museum
The centrepiece of this exhibition (12 October 2018–6 January 2019) will be the artist's Specimen Series, which explores details of Suh’s domestic existence such as light switches, door handles, electric panels and appliances taken from his living spaces and recreated in fabric. Frist Art Museum, Nashville, Tennessee -
Exhibition
Posted
October 12 2018
Do Ho Suh: The Perfect Home II at Brooklyn Museum
A display (12 October 2018–27 January 2019) as part of Brooklyn Museum's One series, of Suh's 2003 work The Perfect Home II. Brooklyn Museum -
Review
Posted
October 10 2018
Frieze writes about Do Ho Suh: Bridging Home, London
'The confounding presence of Bridging Home, London – both unstable yet rooted in its new environment – makes the individual experience of migration both tangible and collective…' Alice Bucknell, Frieze -
Commission
Posted
September 21 2018
Do Ho Suh: Bridging Home, London
Do Ho Suh's new installation at Wormwood Street, EC2, commissioned by Art Night and Sculpture in the City, is on view until 2020. Wormwood Street, London EC2 -
Exhibition
Posted
June 2 2018
Do Ho Suh: Passage/s at Towada Art Center
An exhibition (2 June – 14 October 2018) featuring an installation Suh's Hub works, along with the video My Home/s, 2014-2016. Towada Art Center, Aomori, Japan -
Preview
Posted
May 30 2018
Wallpaper* writes about Do Ho Suh in Venice
'Do Ho Suh, is a perfect complement to ‘Freespace’, the theme of the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale.' Corinna Dean, Wallpaper* -
Gallery Exhibition
25 May - 7 July 2018
Do Ho Suh
Made at the STPI Creative Workshop in Singapore, the new works in this exhibition are part of the artist’s ongoing Rubbing/Loving project, in which rubbings of interior spaces and everyday... Victoria Miro Venice -
News story
Posted
May 21 2018
Do Ho Suh in Venice
Exhibitions and projects during the 16th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia: a new film by, commissioned by the V&A; work featured in Architectural Ethnography from Tokyo: Guidebooks and Projects on Livelihood; a solo exhibition at Victoria Miro Venice. Venice, Italy -
Interview
Posted
May 11 2018
Do Ho Suh talks to the FT about his new film, commissioned by the V&A
The artist talks to Rachel Spence about his new film, commissioned by the V&A. The film will be shown as part of Robin Hood Gardens: A Ruin in Reverse, curated by Christopher Turner and Olivia Horsfall Turner, a special project at the Applied Arts Pavilion at the Biennale Architettura 2018, presented La Biennale di Venezia and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Rachel Spence, The Financial Times -
Exhibition
Posted
May 10 2018
Do Ho Suh: The Spaces in Between at Cantor Arts Center
For this exhibition (10 May 2018–25 Feb 2019) Do Ho Suh has created a chandelier, wallpaper, and a decorative screen to focus attention on issues of migration and transnational identity. Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University, California -
Event
Posted
April 25 2018
Do Ho Suh to take part in the Words/Works/Walls conference, Oxford
Words/Works/Walls: Conceptual Architectures in Visual Cultures (11 May 2018) is a day conference in consideration of walls as barriers, as modes of presentation, as frameworks for understanding, and as key components of global visual culture. Ertegun House, Oxford -
Exhibition
Posted
March 16 2018
Do Ho Suh: Almost Home at the Smithsonian American Art Museum
The exhibition (16 March - 5 August 2018) features a major installation of the artist’s Hub sculptures along with a group of semi-transparent replicas of household objects, titled Specimens. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC -
News story
Posted
March 6 2018
Do Ho Suh to create a new film for the V&A’s presentation Robin Hood Gardens: A Ruin in Reverse at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia
Suh's film will be screened in the Pavilion of Applied Arts (26 May – 25 November 2018) where the V&A will present Robin Hood Gardens: A Ruin In Reverse, centred around fragments of Robin Hood Gardens that will be transported to Venice from Poplar, East London. Venice, Italy -
News story
Posted
December 13 2017
Dezeen features Do Ho Suh: Passage/s in its Top 10 Installations of 2017
'These colourful translucent doorway structures represent all the different places that Korean artist Do Ho Suh has lived and worked, in a bid to explore ideas about identity and migration.' Dezeen -
News story
Posted
December 12 2017
Designboom features Do Ho Suh: Passage/s in its Top 10 Exhibitions of 2017
'In february, Do Ho Suh created a walk-through configuration of semi-transparent structures to occupy the 25 meter-long gallery space at Victoria Miro.' Designboom -
Exhibition
Posted
November 17 2017
Do Ho Suh: Passage/s at Bildmuseet, Umeå, Sweden
For his first solo exhibition in Scandinavia (17 November 2017 – 15 April 2018), the artist presents an installation of his Hub works. Bildmuseet, Umeå, Sweden -
Exhibition
Posted
October 30 2017
Do Ho Suh in Out of Sight! Art of the Senses at Albright-Knox Art Gallery
The exhibition (4 November 2017 – 28 January 2018) brings together contemporary works that actively engage with how our bodies meet the wider world through the five basic senses. Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY -
Event
Posted
September 25 2017
Do Ho Suh delivers a keynote lecture as part of Edge: Situated Practice in Art, Architecture and Urbanism
The event takes place on 7 October 2017 at UCL Here East, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Here East, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London -
Interview
Posted
June 29 2017
Five Questions with Do Ho Suh in Amuse
"I often challenge the conventional notion of spaces, homes and buildings that appear to be immobile, monumental and have an absolute truth." Iona Goulder, Amuse -
Commission
Posted
June 27 2017
Do Ho Suh: Whitney Museum billboard commission
95 Horatio Street is a site-specific work that mines the history of the Meatpacking District to visually reconnect this space with the former railway that once occupied the neighborhood. Organised by the Whitney in partnership with TF Cornerstone and High Line Art Whitney Museum of American Art, New York -
Preview
Posted
June 27 2017
The LA Times reports on the completion of the Wilshire Grand, featuring a major commission by Do Ho Suh
'Through the windows of the lobby, a sculpture designed by the Korean artist Do Ho Suh dominates the space, a three-story-high wash of colors…' Thomas Curwen, The Los Angeles Times -
Event
Posted
June 20 2017
Do Ho Suh: Art Night 2017
For Art Night (1 July 2017), Do Ho Suh presents a video installation that responds to the architecture of Christ Church, Spitalfields. Christ Church Spitalfields, London -
News
Posted
April 27 2017
Do Ho Suh awarded the Ho-Am Prize for the Arts
As reported in ArtAsiaPacific, Do Ho Suh has been announced as one of the recipients of the Ho-Am Prize. The award ceremony takes place on 1 June in Seoul. Katherine Volk, ArtAsiaPacific
Previous exhibitions at Victoria Miro
The Sky was Blue the Sea was Blue and the Boy was Blue
An exhibition of work by 19 artists celebrating the colour blue, available online and on Vortic as part of The London Collective.