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Home Land Security

Do Ho Suh

Some/One

Living between New York and his native Seoul in a permanent state of migration, Do Ho Suh moves among cultures that have different views of individual and collective identity, fueling his interests in themes of identification, suspended illusion, and the fabric of memory. In his sculpture Some/One, thousands of dog tags representing individual soldiers combine to create a larger-than-life suit of armor, an arresting totem that suggests power composed of the many. But closer inspection reveals the dog tags to be fictional, each “name” a nonsensical string of characters. The mirrored surface inside the sculpture reflects the ambiguity of the individual’s relationship to the piece: When we see ourselves enrobed in the garment, are we secure in its embrace, or are we complicit in the illusion of security?

  • Do Ho Suh, Some/One, 2005; stainless steel military dog tags, stainless steel structure, fiberglass resin, mirrored stainless steel sheets; edition of 3, exhibition copy; courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong; © Do Ho Suh; photo: Robert Divers Herrick
    Do Ho Suh, Some/One, 2005; stainless steel military dog tags, stainless steel structure, fiberglass resin, mirrored stainless steel sheets; edition of 3, exhibition copy; courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong; © Do Ho Suh; photo: Robert Divers Herrick
    Do Ho Suh, Some/One, 2005; stainless steel military dog tags, stainless steel structure, fiberglass resin, mirrored stainless steel sheets; edition of 3, exhibition copy; courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong; © Do Ho Suh; photo: Robert Divers Herrick
    Do Ho Suh, Some/One, 2005; stainless steel military dog tags, stainless steel structure, fiberglass resin, mirrored stainless steel sheets; edition of 3, exhibition copy; courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong; © Do Ho Suh; photo: Nina Dietzel
    Do Ho Suh, Some/One, 2005; stainless steel military dog tags, stainless steel structure, fiberglass resin, mirrored stainless steel sheets; edition of 3, exhibition copy; courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong; © Do Ho Suh; photo: Robert Divers Herrick
    Do Ho Suh, Some/One (detail), 2005; stainless steel military dog tags, stainless steel structure, fiberglass resin, mirrored stainless steel sheets; edition of 3, exhibition copy; courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong; © Do Ho Suh; photo: Robert Divers Herrick
    Do Ho Suh, Some/One (detail), 2005; stainless steel military dog tags, stainless steel structure, fiberglass resin, mirrored stainless steel sheets; edition of 3, exhibition copy; courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong; © Do Ho Suh; photo: Robert Divers Herrick
    Do Ho Suh, Some/One (detail), 2005; stainless steel military dog tags, stainless steel structure, fiberglass resin, mirrored stainless steel sheets; edition of 3, exhibition copy; courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong; © Do Ho Suh; photo: Nina Dietzel
    Do Ho Suh, Some/One (detail), 2005; stainless steel military dog tags, stainless steel structure, fiberglass resin, mirrored stainless steel sheets; edition of 3, exhibition copy; courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong; © Do Ho Suh; photo: Robert Divers Herrick
    Do Ho Suh, Some/One (detail), 2005; stainless steel military dog tags, stainless steel structure, fiberglass resin, mirrored stainless steel sheets; edition of 3, exhibition copy; courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong; © Do Ho Suh; photo: Nina Dietzel
    Do Ho Suh, Some/One (detail), 2005; stainless steel military dog tags, stainless steel structure, fiberglass resin, mirrored stainless steel sheets; edition of 3, exhibition copy; courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong; © Do Ho Suh; photo: Robert Divers Herrick
    Do Ho Suh, Some/One (detail), 2005; stainless steel military dog tags, stainless steel structure, fiberglass resin, mirrored stainless steel sheets; edition of 3, exhibition copy; courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong; © Do Ho Suh; photo: Nina Dietzel
    Installation Views
Do Ho SuhKorean, born 1962

Do Ho Suh received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Seoul National University, studied at Yale University and the Rhode Island School of Design, and is the son of an influential Korean painter. His inventive sculptures and installations compel double-takes and demand close inspection, and they have earned him placement in the collections of New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, Tate Modern, and Tokyo’s Museum of Contemporary Art.

Some/One (installation view, detail), 2005; stainless steel military dog tags, stainless steel structure, fiberglass resin, mirrored stainless steel sheets; edition of 3, exhibition copy; courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong; photo: Robert Herrick

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Sanctuary Salon (February 23, 2018)

Sanctuary Salon (February 23, 2018)

Echoing Sanctuary's ethos of plurality, the "Sanctuary Salon" series weaves together the voices of artists whose practices span creative disciplines, including ...

Brendan Fernandes: Safely (2017)

Brendan Fernandes: Safely (2017)

As part of his commission for "Sanctuary," Brendan Fernandes presented a site-specific durational performance that explored themes of reverence and sacred ...

Panel Discussion: Approaching the Rug as a Critical Form

Panel Discussion: Approaching the Rug as a Critical Form

Panel Discussion "Above the Rug: Approaching the Rug as a Critical Form" February 11, 2018 Historically and traditionally, rugs are a medium for cultural ...

Sanctuary

Sanctuary



Sanctuary Salon (January 26, 2018)

Sanctuary Salon (January 26, 2018)

Echoing the ethos of plurality embodied within FOR-SITE's exhibition "Sanctuary," the "Sanctuary Salon" series weaves together the voices of artists whose ...

Sanctuary Salon (December 14, 2017)

Sanctuary Salon (December 14, 2017)

Echoing the ethos of plurality embodied within FOR-SITE's exhibition "Sanctuary," the "Sanctuary Salon" series weaves together the voices of artists whose ...

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  • It's a full house (er, Chapel) tonight for FOR-SITE's first #Sanctuary Salon https://t.co/ABOANPBfeV
  • Happening now: Free #silkscreening workshops with #SanctuaryPrintShop outside #Sanctuary @FortMasoninSF Chapel https://t.co/4BGs628mct

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  • FOR-SITE visited “Joan Jonas: They Come to Us without a Word” at @fortmasoncenter today and were struck by the installation “Nine Trees.” The work was originally made for the courtyard of the U.S. Pavilion in Venice, and consisted of trunks harvested from Certosa Island, a former military site in the Venetian Lagoon. Fittingly, the piece at Fort Mason incorporates eucalyptus trees from @presidiosf (also a former military site). As with the rest of “They Come to Us without a Word,” the piece speaks to the human impact on nature and existing ecosystems. The Presidio eucalyptus used in the work is a non-native species that was planted by the U.S. Army in the 1880’s, and fundamentally changed the landscape from windswept sand to the existing park forest. 
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Joan Jonas: They Come to Us without a Word” is on view in Gallery 308 @fortmasoncenter Wed. - Sat. Noon to 8pm and Sun. 11am to 5pm through March 10. Admission is free, but reserving tickets in advance via the Fort Mason website is strongly encouraged.

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#ArtAboutPlace #PublicArt #ArtAtTheFort
  • A burst of sun amidst the storm had us running outside to take in the moment of reprieve. And there it was — a lovely rainbow 🌈 Having an office at @fortmasoncenter definitely has its #WorkPerks.
  • Didn’t snag an RSVP to @cheryllhaines’ sold-out talk February 6? Don’t worry — a video of the event will be posted to the @thachergalleryusf’s YouTube channel a week or so later. We’ll be sure to direct you there once it’s available! 
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Bonus: February 6 is also the Community Town Hall hosted by San Francisco Arts Commission and Grants for the Arts where they will share the proposed plan for implementing the new Arts Impact Endowment Fund and father feedback from the public. Make your thoughts known! The event is free, but registration is required. Link in bio. 📷: Jan Stürmann

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  • Peruse catalogues, check out art, or just have a chat — we’re at @untitledartfair today until 8pm and Saturday and Sunday from noon until 6pm.

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Field Notes

  • Allison Stone talks Art in the Presidio

  • Art in the Parks and “Home Land Security”: A Partner’s Perspective

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