More Man Than Spider *NSFW*

Major controversy had been stirring in South Korea last month regarding a certain well-known superhero, Spider-Man. It appears as though the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man had been spotted in public while in a natural morning state (i.e., attached to a wall head down, with an erection) sending a string of viral photos circulating on the internet. The issue did not concern an actual person, but rather an artistic creation by South Korean artist Eun-suk Yoo.

Yoo created the sculpture, comically titled Good Morning Spidey, as a study of the human body back in 2010. He completed it during his studies at Pusan National University, and later entered it in a group exhibition at the Busan Lotte Gallery in June 2013. The sculpture got the attention of many visitors, including the manager of the Lotte Mall in Busan. On August 26, 2013 the extra-friendly neighborhood Spider-Man sculpture was installed on the outer wall of Busan’s Lotte Mall, overlooking a playground.

Now, almost a full year after its instillation, Yoo is working as a resident artist at the Clayarch Kimhae Museum in Gyeongsangnamdo. While he has moved on to create other pieces and develop new concepts, opinions on Good Morning Spidey suddenly began to reach critical mass. The fact that children flocked to the mall every day with the super-erection in plain sight exacerbated the controversy. Many parents and shoppers found the piece to be lewd and offensive.

Due to the controversy and bad press, Lotte management requested that Yoo either modify the statue or have it removed. The artist was adamant, “I was asked to fix a specific part of the body to make it look normal, but if I did that it would be nothing more than a regular statue of Spiderman,” he said. “I didn’t set out to make a figure but rather a piece of art. So if I were to modify it, it would spoil the piece.”

Although Good Morning Spidey may be his best-known piece, Yoo has created other superhero-themed works. Other less controversial pieces include his Bug’s Hero series, which fuses superheroes with insects such as flies, mosquitoes and butterflies. “Insects wearing the garments of superheroes represent the weakness of contemporary people who feel reliance on a strong object,” stated Yoo. His Batsquito Man is the love child of Batman and a mosquito, Iron Kong, is a cross between Iron Man and a roly-poly (kong in Korean) and Sparider Man combines Spider-Man with a common housefly (pari in Korean).

He is currently working on the expansion of his Bug’s Hero series, as well as a new Spider-man sculpture which will take child form. Another collection he completed, titled “건축된 농담” (loosely translated as “Constructed Parody”), takes world famous landmarks and uses them to comment on environmental and social issues as well as historical truths and lies. His “Constructed Parody” collection has been showcased in several exhibitions and several pieces can be found on display all over Busan. Yoo’s Bug’s Hero series, on the other hand, will be displayed in Seoul for the very first time in an exhibition which is scheduled to be held in December of this year (more information to follow).

In regards to Good Morning Spidey, Yoo has expressed his amusement and appreciation for all the positive and negative feedback about his work. He hopes that the controversy will spur interest in his upcoming exhibition. “It is very interesting for me see the interest people had in my artwork and also to see people arguing about it,” he said. “Their advice has been great in helping in my artistic activity. Also, this experience will provide more opportunities my future artwork.”

Although many were sad to see the unique sculpture removed, this is not the end for the well-endowed crusader. The director of an oriental medical clinic in Buan, Chonbook has purchased the piece from Yoo. After receiving a few touchups at Yoo’s studio, Spidey was installed on the outside wall of the clinic and restored to all his intended glory.You can check out more of Eun-suk Yoo’s work on his personal blog HERE.