COARSE emerged in 2003 when artist Mark Landwehr began sculpting to forget his day job and the harsh winter in his hometown of Hannover, Germany. A series of sculptures exploring surf and skate culture in Southern California caught the eye of the apparel brand Vans, and an ensuing collaboration brought coarse to the forefront of the vinyl art world.

After solo exhibitions in Berlin and Chicago, Landwehr relocated to Hong Kong where the precision and sharp lines of his sculpting contrasted the frenzy of the city, and his work began to reign in the chaos around him.

In 2008, Sven Waschk joined COARSE, and the duo began sculpting together. As a team, their work evolved from three-dimensional illustrations into narrative-driven sculptures that tell stories about sexual identity, fear of time passing, and relationships falling apart. Vinyl editions are made for sale online as ‘drops’ to much fanfare worldwide.

Since 2013, COARSE has been based in Los Angeles. In addition to larger vinyl drops, COARSE produces COARSE originals, which are unique and very small edition works made from the finest materials which represent the pinnacle of the COARSE visual vocabulary.