Coarse - Omen
BACKGROUND
Coarse is an internationally acclaimed German art duo composed of Mark Landwehr and Sven Waschk, whose sculptures display a recognizable style which combine architectural precision with playful levity and bright colors to explore heavy themes in a light-hearted way.
EARLY DAYS
coarse got its start in 2003, in Hannover, Germany. This was at a time when then-solo artist Mark Landwehr began to sculpt as a way to cope with the stress and monotony of his day job, as well as the bitter winters. Winters in Hannover are long, very cold, and very windy. This led Landwehr to create a series of sculptures that depicted aspects of the surf and skate culture of sunny Southern California. This caught the attention of Vans, an apparel brand that has been associated with skate culture since its debut in 1966, and the two collaborated. This was a monumental move in allowing coarse to make its debut into the world of vinyl art toys.
A DUO IS BORN
Before long, Landwehr began exhibiting his work around Europe and the US. Eventually, he left his home in Hannover and moved to Hong Kong, which is considered to be a mecca for art toy designers. It was here that Landwehr met Sven Waschk. In 2008, the two made the decision to combine their artistic talents and the coarse brand that collectors know today was born. The work the duo produced together quickly grew from three-dimensional illustrations into detailed sculptures designed to tell stories about complex themes, including the exploration of sexual identity, the fear of passing time, and the disintegration of relationships. By 2013, coarse relocated their studio and gallery to Los Angeles, where it has been ever since. To this day, the duo still produces limited-edition sculptures made from materials such as resin and wood, known as coarse originals. Every so often, coarse will select an original sculpture to create a small run of vinyl art toy replicas that will then be available to collectors around the globe.
OMEN
In 2012, coarse had their third solo show at Rotofugi Gallery in Chicago titled “Souls Gone Mad”. For this show, the duo used fiberglass and resin sculptures, as well as photographic portraits, to tell the story of a boy named Fever and the owl-like Omens that haunt him. The idea behind this show was to provide the viewers with a glance at the innocence of childhood and the journey after being subjected to violation and path-altering influence at the hands of others, whether that influence be positive or negative. Among the scary, nefarious omens of Fever's nightmares, the pale yellow Omen Daybreak is one of the good omens in a world where dreams and nightmares merge. In 2013, Omen got its chance to become a vinyl toy, and it has since become one of the brand's most recognizable characters. Omen was so well-received, coarse released multiple color variants over time, and the figures were created in 3 different sizes; "Blink" is 3.5" tall, regular Omen is 7" tall and "Totem" is a towering 14" tall. The first Blink figures were released late in 2013 and were available in four colorways (Blush, Milky Bliss, Switch to Fall, and The Sun Age), with only 600 of each variation available worldwide.
TODAY
Over the years, coarse has had countless solo exhibitions in galleries all over the world, including Tokyo, Berlin, Seoul, Chicago and Los Angeles, and have collaborated with many well-known brands such as Warner Bros., Ikea, Diesel, Vans, and even Amnesty International, among others. The international recognition the duo has received has allowed them to form a collector base around the globe, and they show no sign of slowing down. The sculptures coarse creates continue to weave the bleakness of the reality we live in with surreal and chimerical elements, making themselves steadfast in the art world and, more specifically, in the world of designer art toys.
