Artwork Details
5-7/8 x 315-1/16 x 157-1/2 in. (installed) 4 parts, each: 3-1/8 x 39-3/8 x 39-3/8 in. (each square measures 1 meter x 1 meter), 32 modules total
Accession NumberGift of Ann M. Stack
CopyrightFloor is a sculptural installation commissioned for the IMA contemporary collection. The piece is scaled to fit in this gallery in a grid of 32 individual squares. Upon entering the gallery, viewers are invited to step up onto an expansive platform covered with thick glass plates.
Beneath the glass platform, small specks of color are visible. On closer examination, these are revealed to be the small palms of figures assembled below the floor. Hundreds of multicolored men and women crowd together with heads upturned and arms aloft. The collective strength of this Lilliputian group supports the weight of individual visitors who step up onto the floor grid.
Floor demonstrates many characteristic elements of Do-Ho Suh's broader body of work. The artist uses installations to integrate his artwork with the architecture of a gallery or public space. He has engaged the tensions between collective action and individual identity in other pieces, using his miniature figures to support a heavy stone pedestal or to form a tremendous screen with their interlocking bodies. With residences in Seoul, Korea and New York City, the artist also has considered ideas of "home" or displacement in his works, including reconstructing 1:1 scale models of his apartment out of nylon in gallery spaces. Do-Ho Suh uses Floor's subtle occupation of this gallery, and scale displacement, to present a cross-cultural exploration of personal and communal space.
Related Content
Content Disclaimer and Usage Rights
Metadata about the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s collection comes from Newfields’ records and research. In some cases, information may be incomplete and research is ongoing. Newfields’ goal is to have as up-to-date metadata as possible, therefore, this information is subject to change. Newfields collections’ metadata is available under a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) waiver, which allows for re-use without legal restrictions.
Artworks that appear in the image file(s) above may be in copyright or have other legal and/or cultural restrictions to their use. For clarity, Newfields does not claim copyright to the image files created by Newfields of artworks in the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s collection. Newfields makes every effort to ascertain the copyright status of artworks in the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s collection. Please refer to the RightsStatements.org statement above for information about the current copyright status of the artwork. Additionally, some artworks may include Local Context’s Notices or Labels that attribute cultural authority of the artwork’s heritage and data.
Additional information about Newfields’ reproduction guidelines can be found in the Licensing Resources.