Unexpected parallels between Gwon Osang's photo-sculptures, AI

Installation view of the exhibition, "Gwon Osang's Simplexity: AI, Human and Art," at Teum in southern Seoul / Courtesy of The Trinity

The sculptures of Gwon Osang have a signature look, one that can be recognized instantly. His best-known series, “Deodorant Type,” rejects the weight of traditional materials like stone or bronze.

Instead, the 52-year-old artist conjures figures — human bodies, animals and everyday objects — out of thousands of photographic fragments captured from every conceivable angle. These images are cut, collaged and layered over a hardened Styrofoam armature, creating surfaces that appear solid from afar but, up close, unravel into a dense mosaic of images. The result hovers between the eerily lifelike and the overtly constructed.

It is from this image-driven method that the exhibition, “Gwon Osang’s Simplexity: AI, Human and Art,” draws an unexpected parallel between his practice and artificial intelligence (AI).

To be clear, Gwon himself does not use AI as a tool or a theme in his oeuvre. Yet the show, hosted by LG U+ and organized by The Trinity, identifies a shared underlying logic. The artist’s process of dismantling countless 2D photographs and reassembling them into one 3D mass, it suggests, mirrors the workings of generative AI, which learns from vast datasets and recombines them to arrive at a certain result.

Gwon Osang's "Reclining Figures," part of his best-known "Deodorant Type" series, are on display at "Gwon Osang's Simplexity: AI, Human and Art" exhibit at Teum in southern Seoul. Courtesy of The Trinity

“Gwon Osang’s Simplexity” unfolds across all four stories of Teum in southern Seoul, with each level devoted to a distinct theme that together forms a continuous narrative.

The journey begins on the first floor, which evokes a media-saturated world ruled by the rectangular frame: smartphones, monitors and screens. Here, Gwon’s “Relief” series takes center stage. Images sourced from online platforms and print media are layered and affixed onto rectangular plywood surfaces, accumulating like strata. These photographs appear on the verge of breaking free into three dimensions, but remain tethered to the flatness of the wall.

On the third floor, the show arrives at “Deodorant Type.” The seven reclining figures mark the point at which images that once clung to flat surfaces finally rise into full bodily presence.

Gwon Osang's "Mobile" series is on display at "Gwon Osang's Simplexity: AI, Human and Art" exhibit at Teum in southern Seoul. Courtesy of The Trinity

Meanwhile, the fourth floor marks a reversal. This time, photographs break apart, dispersing into fragments that drift freely through the air. Gwon’s “Mobile” series takes its cues from Alexander Calder, the pioneer of kinetic sculpture. Just as Calder set aside heavy materials in favor of wire and thin metal plates to introduce motion, Gwon suspends images on lightweight wooden panels, allowing them to float and sway.

Before exiting the show, visitors descending to the second floor are invited to step directly into the creative process. Photographs taken of them on-site will later resurface as part of Gwon’s evolving digital art wall.

AI also plays a role as a guide. LG U+ introduces an AI-powered docent service through its app, ixi-O, trained on recordings of real conversations with the artist. Visitors can pose questions and receive nuanced responses as if messaging Gwon himself.

“Gwon Osang’s Simplexity” runs through March 31. Admission is free.