Meltdown Paw, 2022

Coarse  

Mark Landwehr

Sven Waschk

Coarse emerged in 2003 when artist Mark Landwehr began sculpting to forget his day job and the harsh winter in his hometown of Hannover, Germany. A series of sculptures exploring surf and skate culture in Southern California caught the eye of the apparel brand Vans, and an ensuing collaboration brought coarse to the forefront of the vinyl art toy world.

After solo exhibitions in Berlin and Chicago, Landwehr relocated to Hong Kong where the precision and sharp lines of his sculpting contrasted the frenzy of the city, and his work began to reign in the chaos around him.

In 2008, Sven Waschk joined coarse, and the duo began sculpting together. As a team, their work evolved from three-dimensional illustrations into narrative-driven sculptures that tell stories about sexual identity, fear of time passing, and relationships falling apart.

Since 2013, the coarse studio and gallery has been based in Los Angeles. The sprawling warehouse is where the artists design and produce limited edition wood and resin sculptures known as coarse originals. These pieces are available for acquisition at exhibitions and by appointment.

Through exhibitions around the world and collaborations with Amnesty International, Warner Bros., and Ikea, coarse has become known internationally as a leader in vinyl art toys. coarse's sculptures reflect the world we live in and yet their impeccable details, understated complexity, and the occasional hint of the fantastical suggest they have materialized from a different reality.