Mun-gi Yang

Story of Stone and Luxury Products

2007  Mun-gi YANG

  My work, 'the Story of Stones and Luxury Products' intends to tell about the desire and material attribute of the modern society by presenting stone bags.

  First of all, my stone bags stand for the desire of people who mange stable life but dream of deviation and the eager mind that does not leave easy as the weight of real work, and are also presented as the shape of suffering from a metaphor as ‘a long bag strap’.  Also, this exhibition wants to talk about luxury products recommended as ‘the object of admiration’ and ‘the symbol of success’ that the satisfaction of desire for possession rather than necessity becomes the common interest of man like Marie Antoinette's cake through the stone bags with the logos of luxury product brands.

  It is often said that when one buy products in luxury brand shops, they must say that how much they want their brand names and images rather than ask their prices. That may be the satisfaction obtained from the purchase of first-class products. That is, a superiority complex of using more luxury brand or logo, satisfaction at raising the status compared to using second-class products, or a hope that other people distinguish the first class from the second class and admit the first class. Since the logos of luxury products have become smaller or are hidden as a treasure hunt, an eye for recognizing the products is considered as decoding ability. Bags occupy very big space as a symbol of economic wealth and cultural leader rather than a bag itself or are surrounded by logos. This trend that considers label important explains the reason why the bag becomes such an important thing. Although what things go to the bag is important, the bag decides a grace of the owner. Stores selling luxury products all allow too wide space without exception to display bags of many different sizes and designs. Such bags have the logos of GUCCI, HERMES, Louis Vuitton, FENDI, etc..

  Focusing on this point, I attempts to move the spirits of manufacturers rather than products which are displayed in luxury goods shops or department stores, that is, display and structure that evoke the beauty of loftiness which the artisan spirit is took by itself. All stone bags are engraved by luxury goods logos-Channel, Louis Vuitton, Burberrys, and visitors seeing them will associate real luxury bags.

  However, my works mainly used natural stone(black sandstone, boulder stone, etc.) which is ordinarily seen in the roadsides or the riversides and does rarely catch people's eyes. Works also are not finished up in the back and sides to leave the form or detail of original stone to give a room for analogy of the attribute and essence of the stone. As the bags or bundles of medical supplies or bundles of letters in the Napoleon War became important after inscribed with logos before wining fame as luxury products, I intent to revive the nature of natural stone in the point of subliming as works which are finished half in my hand.

  By inscribing a logo of a luxury brand, I expect stone which is not seen in the roadsides to become the center of many people's attention and even be the admiration for luxury products, and thus that their desire will be stimulated.