Introduction

"The assignment (at the Rhode Island School of Design) was using the form of clothing to address this issue of identity … (it) allowed me to think about my identity as a Korean in the United States, through that project."

—Do-Ho Suh, in an interview with Art21

Some/One, 2001, represents artist Do-Ho Suh's interest in individual and collective identity. In the tradition of minimalist sculpture (works by artists such as Donald Judd, Dan Flavin and Carl André) Do-Ho Suh's work explores how installation and sculpture pieces transform public and private spaces. His works are rich in content and aesthetics. Unlike some minimalist sculptures, they contain a painstaking amount of intricate detail that is not always apparent at first sight but is an integral part of the artwork. Some/One, as the title of the work indicates, juxtaposes the collective—represented by a larger-than-life armor sculpture—and the individual, consisting of life-size shiny-metal dog tags, each unique and representing a single soldier. This allegory is carried forward by contrasting the hard, insensitive character of armor with the delicate aspect of the dog tags, which are made up of thin sheets of metal and embody the poetic symbolism of fallen warriors.