Lot 1148: HONG SUNG DO

HONG SUNG DO
(b. 1953)
Tourist (Book)
signed in Korean; titled 'Tourist the Book' in English; dated and numbered '2008 1/5' (on the reverse)
plexiglass and aluminium
89.5 x 135 cm. (35 x 53 1/8 in.)
edition 1/5
Executed in 2008

Beijing, China, Art Seasons, First Step-New Art from Korea, 12 April-30 May, 2008 (different edition exhibited).

Art Seasons Beijing, First Step- New Art from Korea, exh. cat., Beijing, China, 2008 (different edition illustrated, p. 127).

The concept of deconstruction and reconstruction is a recurring idea in the works of Korean-born artist Hong Sung Do and are manifested in his prominent Bedroom and Time Travel installations, his Plastic Surgery series and, more recently, his Tourist series. In the latter, the artist reconstructs images of landscapes, as well as, people to show them through the eyes of tourists. By combining the medium of photography with materials such as plexiglass and aluminum, the artist reconstructs the formal concept of photography, bestowing upon it a new life and meaning while allowing the image to carefully enter the three-dimensional realm. Thus, the audience becomes an active interpreter of Hong's creations, challenged to find a higher meaning in these innovative photographic structures.

Apart from being a significant continuation of the artist's conceptual methodology, Hong's Tourist (London Underground), Tourist (Paris Metro) (Lot 1147) and Tourist Book (Lot 1148) portray images associated with modernism, such as travel, commute, urbanism and globalism. In these works he observes our modern life style, inexhaustible desire to travel, explore and discover, but also mass tourism, a social phenomenon made possible through the continuous development and advancement of transportation methods. Considering the cliches associated with this form of travel, Hong's work can be read as a social criticism, directed at the urban societies of our time.