Online Exhibition: The Gaze of a Korean Photographer
[Artist's Statement]
Hanji + Photography
I continue to create works primarily using landscapes and still lifes as motifs.
In landscape photography, I have focused on capturing "the passage of time," and in still life photography, "the essence of existence itself." What I consistently engage with is the subject's inherent authenticity.
In this exploration, I deliberately chose to remove "shadows" from my photographs. I believed that by eliminating the effects of light and shadow and stripping away superfluous elements, the subject would transcend its contours and meanings, appearing simply as something that is there.
Hanji, traditional Korean handmade paper, supports this expression. Hanji has a history of over a thousand years, and its strong mulberry fibers give it high durability and long-term preservation qualities. Also known as "Baekji," it is completed through many layers of processes, with the final touch entrusted to the user.
The act of printing a photograph is also a quiet dialogue, facing the subject, accumulating time, and circling through thoughts.
Photographs deeply imbued in the fibers of Hanji take on a serene appearance reminiscent of ink paintings. It is a sensation as if silent objects gently speak to the viewer.
Through photographs born of light and breathing on paper, I wish to quietly re-examine the very act of "seeing."
[About the Artist]
In 1993, awarded the Grand Prix at the Sydney International Photography Exhibition (Australia).
In 2001, held his first solo exhibition in the UK. Since then, based in Seoul, has held numerous solo and group exhibitions primarily in Japan and Korea.
In addition to exhibitions in galleries, museums, and temple spaces in Korea, he has participated in art fairs and international cultural exchange exhibitions.
In recent years, has also exhibited overseas in places such as Venice (Italy) and Jakarta (Indonesia).
