At first glance this may look just like a robe but look a little closer and you’ll find that this enormous suit of armor is actually thousands of polished military dog tags all put together. Titled Some/One, the art piece, created by contemporary Korean artist Do-Ho Suh, asks the viewer to both understand and appreciate how a solider has his own identity yet is part of a larger troop or military body. The ghost-like suit of armor also has a reflective mirror body which asks the viewer to think about what this piece means to them.
“I wanted the viewer to have an experience with these little dog tags, these thousands of dog tags. It symbolizes each individual’s identity…these many dog tags create this one, larger-than-life figure. It’s ambiguous whether you’re a part of it or not. Whether you are the owner of this robe when you see your own image over there. So that’s why I had the mirror inside.” – Do-Ho Suh
Another view from far away
View from up close
The Artist, Do-Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh is a Korean sculptor and installation artist who was born in Seoul, Korea in 1962. After earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts in Oriental Painting from Seoul National University, and fulfilling his term of mandatory service in the South Korean military, Suh relocated to the United States to continue his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design and Yale University.