Oh-Seok Kwon studied sculpture in Seoul, Korea and began his art studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich in 1990 with Professor Nikolaus Gerhart. Already during his studies he worked regularly at the Haus der Kunst as a construction helper, a job he kept after graduation to finance his existence.
In the process, he got to know the Haus der Kunst so well that he internalized its inner and outer structure and form and recognized details that went unnoticed at first glance. For example, Kwon noticed that the 22 columns on the north facade of the building still show their original light color on the outside, while the parts to the inside are dark.
The artist would often stand in front of the columns with their light and dark sides during his breaks from work, imagining turning them 180 degrees so that the dark sides would also receive sunlight.
"Carrying the roof alone for 85 years must have been hard work, but to do it all the time in the shade? Shouldn't the columns, which haven't seen sunlight since they began their service, be sent on vacation to a warm, southern country? - So I hope that my Apple Tree Submarine will carry them all away one by one and take them to the beach."
The artist wants to express this thought by installing his "Apple Tree Submarine" behind the Haus der Kunst in the English Garden. There it now floats as if it could carry the columns away with it... The floating submarine also takes the viewer on a mental journey.
"Apple Tree Submarine" can be understood as a beacon of hope for all artists and for culture in general, and it also raises questions about the role of art and culture and their place in our society.
