
THE DOG MAKER
Thanks to hungry wolves and ancient humans, there are over 350 dog breeds in the world today. Artist Hosung Jang offers more.
s READ MOREThanks to hungry wolves and ancient humans, there are over 350 dog breeds in the world today. Artist Hosung Jang offers more.
s READ MOREArchaeologists 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.”
—
All images courtesy of Hosung Jang
hosungjang.com
@publicanimals
We are thrilled to introduce Dog-Friendly, a collection of city guides for dog-loving people, created together with our long-time contributor, photographer Winnie Au, and fellow enthusiasts, indie publisher Hoxton Mini Press. Available for purchase here.
August 25, 2021
Have you ever imagined Amy Winehouse or Nick Cave as a Chihuahua, Neil Young as a Vizsla, or PJ Harvey as an Afghan hound? That’s exactly what San Francisco-based artist Michael Gillette has done through his unique illustration project, blending beloved, iconic music legends, both past and present, with their dog counterparts. Pack of Dogs, our first foray into book publishing, is a celebration of pup and pop culture for music and dog lovers alike.
August 25, 2020
Suspended between vintage past and surrealist future, The Brigadoon Dispatch is a portal to new realms of creativity.
February 24, 2023
Pioneering ‘species-fluid’ fashion, THEANIMALS™ brings human and hound even closer together.
January 28, 2023
In his third and final instalment of The Waiting Game, artist Txema Salvans photographs dogs tied to lives of waiting.
January 26, 2023
Clean-lined, minimal and irresistibly cute, Odile Ferraille depicts dogs living their best, carefree lives.
January 23, 2023
Bath time can be a dignified affair with MiaCara’s new Groom collection, designed to bring luxe to wet dogs.
November 28, 2022
Photographer Sophie Zimmermann celebrates the “small moments in between” of dog portraiture.
November 21, 2022
From raincoats and puffers to sweaters and bathrobes, Cloud7 designs for every dog and all occasions. But that’s not to stay one style fits all.
October 31, 2022
London-based illustrator Ashley Percival creates colourful prints full of energy and charged with imagination.
October 11, 2022
For his series ‘Compositions and Attitudes’ photographer Hosung Jang captures dogs’ unadulterated curiosity.
September 30, 2022