Sculptor's Lantern - GWON OSANG

Sculptor's Lantern

2025-2026 Archival pigment print on rice paper, bamboo strips, bulb and power cord dimmer 26 x 26 x 92 (h) cm

Provenance

Artist Collection, 2026

About The Work

The 'Sculptor’s Lantern' series features functional light sculptures reinterpreted with celestial imagery. Here, light is a core sculptural element; though intangible, it paradoxically gives the artwork visual mass and volume. The radiant glow illuminates adjacent pieces, organically linking them and expanding the sculpture’s presence into the wider space. Through this experiment, the artist blurs the boundaries between sculpture, lighting, and everyday objects.

In this series, the artist transitions from his signature materials—Isopink and photographic prints—to light and hanji (traditional Korean paper), inspired by Isamu Noguchi’s iconic light sculptures. This choice maximizes light transmittance while translating the subtle Eastern aesthetics of Noguchi's work into contemporary sculpture.

The outer surfaces are wrapped in photographs of distant planets and stars. This vast cosmic landscape merges with the finely crafted form, transforming each piece into a self-contained "microcosmos." As the internal light filters through these celestial skins, it fills the exhibition space with an ambient glow, inviting viewers into a fantastic, expanding cosmic environment.