THE DOG MAKER

Photography

Thanks to hungry wolves and ancient humans, there are over 350 dog breeds in the world today. Artist Hosung Jang offers more.

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THE DOG MAKER

WORDS BY Olivia Finlayson

Archaeologists estimate that dogs were first domesticated in Siberia around 23,000–40,000 years ago. It’s believed by some (but still debated) that humans and wolves coexisted in the same regions during the Ice Age. Drawn to food and waste discarded by humans, wolves inched closer to camps. A mutually beneficial bond was forged as both hunter and hound made use of each other’s offerings: food, hunting ability and companionship.

Thanks to hungry wolves and ancient humans, there are over 350 dog breeds in the world today. As greedy fervent lovers, 350 just isn’t enough. Thankfully, artist and dog photographer Hosung Jang is mining the depths of his imagination and talent to create new, fanciful species of man’s best friend.

Compiled over 11 years, Jang’s catalogue of dog portraits is 25,000 strong. Viewing the collection with his artist’s eye, Jang saw potential to combine portraits and birth new breeds. Enter Dog Maker.

“Each new dog was created by classifying dogs with the same tone of fur, similar looks, dogs with similar texture of fur etc. Combining more than two dogs was more difficult than I expected,” tells Jang.

So far, the artist has created 15 ‘new’ dogs, with an ambition to complete the series at 20. To the unsuspecting eye, Jang’s precise work demands a double-take. Each dog looks convincingly real, yet subtly peculiar. Creating each with painstaking attention to detail, Jang describes his method as one of ‘waiting’: “I watch, keep my distance, and wait for the dogs to speak. It’s kind of like a code of conduct that I’ve always had when dealing with animals. When I describe this work, I would say it’s the work looking back on me.”

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All images courtesy of Hosung Jang
hosungjang.com
@publicanimals

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