How do artists express their personal and cultural identities through clothing?
Clothing tells stories about who we are, when and where we’re from, and how we are perceived in the world.
Introduction
Artists and everyday people have been making clothing for thousands of years. Clothing is an interesting art form because it has functional, aesthetic, and cultural value. Clothing can tell stories about people, places, cultures, and time periods. It can tell us about the profession of the wearer, the weather and climate of where they live, their cultural heritage, or even clues about their personality. Clothing has also been used by cultures around the world to communicate power and distinguish individuals to demonstrate their rank or status in society.
Historically, before the industrialization of the textile industry, clothing styles and fashion changed at a much slower pace. Making clothing took time and was costly because fabrics and materials were all woven by hand and labor was expensive. It was much easier to distinguish the wearer’s identity, culture, and time period from a piece of clothing because styles were so connected to the materials and design techniques of regional makers. Today, the fashion industry provides fast, cheap options for global consumers from different labels and brand names across different price points. For some of us, clothing is still something made by hand by someone we know personally. It also continues to express our cultural heritage and traditions. How do we navigate our own sense of identity through the clothing we choose to wear? How is our clothing connected to how we are perceived in the world?
Do Ho Suh
Do Ho Suh is a Korean artist who explores the theme of personal identity in his artwork Some/One. Suh was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1962, where he followed in the footsteps of his father and studied traditional Korean brush painting. As a young adult, he also fulfilled his term of mandatory service in the Korean army. He moved to the United States in 1991 to continue his study of art at the Rhode Island School of Design and Yale University, where his practice shifted from painting to sculpture and installation art.
© Do Ho Suh. Courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro, London / Venice (photography Daniel Dorsa).
Some/One is based on a sculpture he made as a student at the Rhode Island School of Design. His assignment was to use a form of clothing to address the idea of identity. As an immigrant to the United States, Suh had already begun to explore the meaning of home and identity in his artwork. He moved to the United States around the time of the Los Angeles riots, which further impacted the way he thought about himself and his place in the United States. He also knew that he wanted to incorporate his experience in the Korean military, which led to the idea for this artwork.
Some/One is made of thousands of military dog tags that form a silhouette that resembles a traditional Asian suit of armor, or a traditional Korean robe. This sculpture brings up ideas of individuality, collectivity, and anonymity. Individual soldiers, symbolized by the dog tags, make up the collective whole, represented by the suit of armor. The interior of the suit is mirrored, which encourages viewers to find themselves in the artwork. Suh purposefully left the piece open to interpretation, to allow people to find different associations in the same piece.
Video: Kuab Maiv Yaj: artist profile
Video Discussion
What are the main messages you take away from Kuab Maiv Yaj’s art, actions, and interview?
Kuab Maiv Yaj asks herself “What is it that makes me understand what Hmong is?” She concludes that she doesn’t think there are the right answers—the experiences are different for everyone. Unable to imagine, and wanting to know what it is like for Hmong people in Laos and the diaspora, who wear their clothing in everyday contexts, and to embody this traditional clothed female, she took to the streets in the Twin Cities in what she calls her ideas of traditional Hmong clothing.
What do you think Kuab Maiv Yaj means when she says she is “more interested in the things that come from questioning.”
What is your reaction to seeing Kuab Maiv Yaj wearing her ideas of traditional Hmong clothing? She asks: Why is it that Hmong people don’t wear their clothing? What do you think?
Why do you think it might have been important for Kuab Maiv Yaj that people can’t escape from seeing her this way when she embodies this traditional clothed female?
How is her work focused on womanhood? How does it address patriarchy?
Teaching and Learning Strategies
Visit Mia’s Collections site to explore all of the different clothing and garments we have from cultures around the world. You can search through specific culture, or type of garment. For example:
Gather a few samples of clothing to examine with your students—try to get examples that show a range of materials, styles, and cultures. Have students look closely and touch the garments, and reflect on the following questions:
- What material did the maker use? Describe the maker’s design choices.
- Where and in what time period did this person live? What makes you say so?
- What was the cultural identity of the maker and/or the wearer? What makes you say so?
- What can we tell about the societal norms and/or trends at the time? What makes you say so?
- What was the purpose of this garment (for protection, to communicate status or occupation, to enable physical activity, etc.)? What makes you say so?
- In what ways does the garment emphasize the wearer’s individuality, cultural identity, or both?
Ask your students about their favorite piece of clothing. Reflection questions include: Why is it your favorite? When do you wear this piece of clothing? How do you feel when you wear it? How does this piece of clothing help you express your identity or personality? Does the garment have any cultural associations? What materials is it made out of? Where did it come from? Who made it? How was it made?
- Have students conduct research in order to answer these questions. For example, if the clothing is from a brand-name store, find out where the clothing is made and under what conditions. If it’s from a thrift store, have them research the history of thrift stores. If the clothing is a hand-me-down or handmade, have students conduct an interview with the person who gave it to them about how they acquired it.
Clothing and adornment have long been a way for peoples around the world to express a sense of community and belonging. Encourage students to be mindful of issues of cultural misappropriation and avoid taking style and design elements from cultures outside one’s own identity group, even when done from a place of respect and appreciation. Engage your students in a conversation about why this is an important issue. For further ideas and support, check out our lesson from Critical Foundations, “How can we be mindful of cultural misappropriation when teaching with Asian art?”