Rocks from the deepest layer of nature, untreated; rocks in their most precious forms, polished. The smooth curves or rough surfaces, a dual identity existed through the ages. A primitive and immortal material, a stone is the essence of our earth as well as our human evolution.
As the basis of civilization, stone is the material firstly used in the constructions which mark the most remarkable and greatest civilizations. For Mun-gi Yang, a Korean artist, this material’s cosmological range is transformed by sculptor’s hands. The stone, in different forms, confronts itself with our gaze for giving new meanings. It was made over with its own identity by being shaped in the form of bag, and being smoothed and engraved as jewelry. For him, a bag, or precisely a handbag, allows the owner to construct an image with witch he could prove his identity, through what the bag contains and also its external appearance.
Through the creation of bags, Mun-gi Yang would like to query our relationship with the culture (the bags were carved with Korean characters Hangul); likewise with the luxury items, for example, the series with major brands’ logos ( Louis Vuitton, Chanel …) which become the symbols, as well as various international linguistic characters, their simple visual plunges us into a fantasy world.
Mun-gi Yang also wants to question the history and our connection with time. From a luxury bag carved on the stone to a prehistoric bag, artist stains the humankind's’ place with eternity over time. Modern or ancient, rustic or carved, Mun-gi Yang’s work is as much fascinating as astonishing.
His work “Chic Rocks” perfectly embodies this connection with time in a sense of humour, about the relationship between human and object.
Stone, rope and wood, three natural materials are indispensable for the changing of human condition; and are transformed into bag here, different bundles in which the sense of belongings and the sense of existence for everyone assemble. The primitive link with nature and the “prehistoric” form of object are mixed up by carving the motifs on the surface. By printing stamps and coat of arms, these symbols of an universal consumption aesthetic immerse us in a world of chic and fashion.
Through this series of 120 editions, Mun-gi Yang interrogates hence the object and the luxe. For possessing or sharing, immutable as well fragile, this work provokes our envy and imagination, so Chic…, so Rock.
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