For years, we have been wowed by the work of Korean artist Do-Ho Suh. From houses dangling high up in the air to installations involving hundreds of tiny little human figures, Suh always keeps us guessing. This time, the artist found a way to bring cultures together in a unique, public installation entitled Bridging Home. When most people think of ‘home,’ it’s often associated with a permanent place where we can escape from the outside world, put on our PJs, and snuggle up in our own, personal space.
Building off of this very safe and private concept, the artist decided to bring one specific type of home into a place where it didn’t quite belong. He shoved a replica of a Korean house into a small space between two larger homes in a Northern English City. The juxtaposition of one’s personal, safe space, located within a very foreign and impersonal environment raised questions of cultures and traditions. Mimicking old Korean architecture, the replica also served as a visual representation of the past. Home is a universal concept accepted by all cultures, but upon crossing boundaries, Suh urged his viewers to consider differences and similarities between the history of cultures.
According to his website, Suh is “Interested in the malleability of space in both its physical and metaphorical manifestations, [he] constructs site-specific installations that question the boundaries of identity. His work explores the relation between individuality, collectivity, and anonymity.”
