Tom Sachs Artists to space!

By Hyundai Cho

South Korea's homegrown space rocket, Nuri, also known as the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-II (KSLV-II), was launched from Naro Space Center in the country's southern coastal town of Goheung on June 21, 2022.

And coincidentally enough, the press conference for the three exhibitions by an American sculptor was held on the very same day. Tom Sachs, a brilliant sculptor who is best known for his bricolage recreations, presents three concurrent exhibitions in Korea centered on his affinity for space, music, American culture and society, and the burgeoning field of the metaverse, completing the first comprehensive survey of the artist's work in Seoul. 

Before delving into each exhibition, it is necessary to take a closer look at his trademark, bricolage. The term bricolage is derived from a French word, meaning construction achieved by using whatever comes to hand. French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss once referred "bricoleur" as primitive society's craftmanship, a contrary concept to engineers who make things with expertise and accurate design. 

I can never make anything as perfect as an iPhone. But Apple can never make anything with the evidence that a human being was here. — Tom Sachs