JESSICA TOMPKINS
Design Editor
Sculpture is one of the oldest forms of art. For centuries artists around the world have utilized sculpture to form and space reality, emotion and perfect beauty, but the 20th century paved the way for new shape. What started out as an art form used for ritual purposes, had evolved into a method of expression. Being that the sculpture is three dimensional, human interaction is inevitable. It provides a better sense of shape compared to a flat painting because the audience is able to see the object from all angles opposed to one perspective. The presence of a sculptural piece alone holds great importance, especially when tied to a personal connection. Even if the meaning behind the piece is unclear, artists allow viewers to come up with their own interpretation. As of now, sculpture has become more individualistic, but still pays a tribute to the past.
Do Ho Suh, a South Korean sculptor and installation artist, is best known for his sculptures that challenge existing concepts of scale and site-specificity. Suh’s work explores the issues of identity, memory, and relationships and this helps audiences question themselves in a way they wouldn’t have before. Though Suh grew up in South Korea, where the main religion is Buddhism, he does not directly or purposefully put his country’s traditions and beliefs into his work, however, one of Do Ho Suh’s artworks is based upon the oriental philosophy karma called “Karma.”
The belief of karma is associated with the idea of rebirth which can be seen in Asian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and others. Within in these religions, karma is said to be what effects the present of one’s future in their current life, as well as the environment and qualities of the future, known as reincarnation. Karma is the theory used to explain what causes evil to exist and how a person can avoid such evils to obtain a life full of peace and happiness.
“Karma,” installed in 2010 on the grounds of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery located in Buffalo, NY, is a massive bronze sculpture that towers 23 feet into the sky. The sculpture presents one man standing in an anatomical position while countless men are sitting on his shoulders in a crouched position and shielding each other’s eyes. These linked forms echo how lives are intertwined and it expresses the karmic truth of connection.
As human beings we all stand on the shoulders of the people who have come before us, meaning that men can sometimes blindly rely on each other just based on a leap of faith. The sculpture shows that each past life rises to the heavens as a new successors replaces the old. This symbolizes the influence past lives created for upcoming lives in the future. In this case karma applies to the intentions of previous lives and depending on if they were good or bad, it will shape the life of the present figure.
I was able to see the sculpture during a class field trip and you can clearly see the strain in the crouched figures as they try to pull the standing figure backwards. As you go up the form, the arms of the bent figures straighten out as they struggle to bring down what seems to be the dominant figure. From the side you can see that the sculpture is dangerously arched and it appears to defy gravity. This creates the illusion of the tower trying to stretch to infinity like a fractal. The curvature of it is so drastic it makes viewers feel uneasy because it looks like the men are about to topple over, giving the structure a fragile-like feeling. From the front of the sculpture it’s hard to see the very top. By not being able to view the top from the front it could go along with the idea of individuals thoughtlessly following what has happened in the past. Yet present lives have never met their past lives they, but still follow them anyway.
This piece all together moves as one and is open to the audience for interpretation. My interpretation of the sculpture was very similar to what was stated above. Present lives seem to blindly follow what past lives have laid out as ground rules, but then I started to question whether this sculpture was for or against the idea of following the unknown. Based on the standing posture of the “present” man I assume it’s against the idea. This man is trying to stand his ground so he can head down his own path, but his past lives are trying to pull him back into what was already arranged for him and his future selves to follow.
The past plays a huge part in what happens in the future, but eventually the past will fade. Then the question becomes, what will present lives look forward to following? Maybe the standing figure is trying to communicate to people that it’s time to take a stand? To break the cycle of turmoil and start a new life full of prosperity, but it’s hard to break a cycle when people are set in their ways.
For instance, in America we have a long standing history with racism. There have been points in time when a person of a higher stature would rise to “power” and try to end the feud between whites and blacks. In some instances things would simmer down, not completely, but to a point where the two races were able to coexist. Then a tragic event occurs and causes an uproar. Both sides are consumed with anger causing more violence to occur. According to the article “America’s Bad Karma: Homophobia and Racism” from the Huffington Post “we can choose to end this cycle of suffering, but we must make a commitment to change the way we fight. We can’t keep looking the other way at ourselves, or responding to the other side with anger. We must start with ourselves.” And with starting with ourselves, especially today’s youth, maybe the hostility between whites and blacks will come to a happy medium.
When I think of the word karma I think of the sayings, “what goes around, comes around” and “you reap what you sow.” Though one saying is said to come from a novel and the other from the bible, both proverbs carry the same meaning. It is important to understand that everything we do has some sort of repercussion, may it be as simple as cheating on a test or robbing a bank. All actions have consequences no matter how big or small. We learn from those mistakes and continue to strive for the ultimate peace.