Asian Photography Blog » Korea

Gloria Chung

yaohong — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:40:34 +0000

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“November“)
© Gloria Chung

I know it’s only the end of January but Gloria Chung’s November series made me think a little about how time flies. Turn one round on the spot you’re standing on and you would be saying goodbye to 2010 already.

This year has been pretty packed and awesome so far (hence the lack of posts). I’m sad to see this month almost over. Sometimes, life moves too quickly for us to truly enjoy every single moment.

Gloria is currently based in NYC and shoots freelance. Hop over to her website to see her other works.

Dayoung Kang

yaohong — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:19:51 +0000

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“swallow“)
© Dayoung Kang, 2009

Dayoung Kang’s swallow series depicts the anonymity and lack of identity in modern society. Faceless characters inhabit the images; unable to communicate with others in the society. The hidden wounds we carry haunt us, yet we continue to swallow the pain. Visit her website here.

This will be the last in the feature on Chung-ang University. I hoped you enjoyed it.

Siyeon Park

yaohong — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:10:15 +0000

Siyeon Park’s series reminds one of August Sander’s portraits of the People of the 20th Century, a typological look at school-going girls in Korea. The girls bear an eerie resemblance to each other, blank stares fixated on their faces.

Su-yeon Choi: Who cries all the time over everything

Ji-in Kim: Who hates to wear school uniform

Na-hee un: Who doesn’t know what to do in the future
TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“colorless“)
© Siyeon Park, 2009

From her statement:

When I was young, I couldn’t even have a meal with my family…so I ate at my mother’s car all the time on the way to the academy. I didn’t know that what am I doing here and why should I do this for 19 years. I just did because everyone was doing the same thing…I was like a robot in a factory. This story is not only mine but of all Korean students.

While it contains elements of teenage angst and feelings of being lost in the world, I’m sure it could easily be applied to most people out there. How many of us know our ultimate destination? We’re all just groping around blindly in this world and most times, we have to fit into the mould that society imposes on us.

Kwon Ji hyun

yaohong — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 10:21:20 +0000

Kwon Ji hyun: I’m so sorry. I’m just, just photographing in the messed up world.

Judith Gehring: My sentence was paid for by an innocent dove, whose beauty was distorted so that I would enjoy freedom!

Damian Pieniazek: I am too ambitious, that’s why I don’t have enough time for my family.

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“The Guilty“)
© Kwon Ji-hyun, 2009

Kwon Ji hyun won the Best Portfolio award at the Bratislava Month of Photography. Her series, The Guilty, engaged the topic of social consciousness and responsibility. Through the series, she tried to reconcile the guilt of being an artist while the rest of the world continues in persistent suffering.

Noriko Ishihara

yaohong — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 10:09:23 +0000

Noriko Ishihara’s works explores the inner human condition. Within our cages lie a multitude of concerns and fears – things that frighten us. The series questions the individual’s inner being and represents them in a whole new light.

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“?? (silent and loneliness) world“)
© Noriko Ishihara, 2009

Highly abstruse, the images’ visual references and palette create an ominous and fantastical feel to the entire series. Yet, beneath the abstract layers lie truths kept away from the world.

Kim Ji-Hye

yaohong — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 09:53:48 +0000

Kim Ji-Hye approached a subject that affects roughly half the human population – the menstrual cycle. She approached individuals who shared with her their greatest concerns/peeves about it and transformed these stories into caricatures.

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“Menstrual Cycle“)
© Kim Ji-Hye, 2009

For an act as natural as breathing, the topic remains mostly shrouded in mystery for the other half of the human population. Scenes of physical/mental changes, heightened senses and embarrassment are revealed through her images and perhaps bring a little light onto a topic that is usually avoided.

Serry Park

yaohong — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 09:16:46 +0000

Serry Park’s series, XO pale white, delineates the meaning of objects in our daily lives. A minimalist piece of work, the simplicity of the images hides the amount of effort placed in creating the set.

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“XO pale white“)
© Serry Park, 2009

From her statement:

I cannot open the window, nor watch the clock in my room. The only thing I can do now is to see the daylight from the windows, touch [the] fabric and fall asleep. I and the room, we both could take a rest. Only light and time flow in this room without any will. Then I feel like I finally give a complete denial of what is considered significantly.

She covered her entire room in fabric, removing the functions of the objects that surround her. The private space is turned into an ideal, leaving behind an impression of the prior functional aspects. The images are presented in a dream-like state, far from the messy and clutter we steep ourselves in.

Showcase: Chung-Ang University

yaohong — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 08:58:41 +0000

Walter Bergmoser, a professor at Chung-Ang University’s Department of Photography, approached me sometime last month to showcase his students’ work which was shown at Bratislava’s Month of Photography. I will be putting up some of the works along the course of this week. One of his students, Jihyun Kwon, won the Best Portfolio award, and for good reasons too! Be sure to check back later as I unfold the images.

Plug: If you’re an educator based in Asia and would like a similar showcase of works by your students, please feel free to contact me.

Lee Jeong-lok

yaohong — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 07:33:49 +0000

Painstakingly created, Lee Jeong-lok’s Mythical Landscape series turned ordinary scenes into works that intrigue and wonder. Growing up in the countryside, the artist has an intricate bond with nature and it is reflected in his works. This series is a visualization of the physical and spiritual imaginations of a certain place or object. Reality is bent and the resulting images bring viewers into an other world – one that is full of mystery and beauty.

See more of the series here.

Young Kim – Suitman

yaohong — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:06:18 +0000

Quirky, very quirky. I spotted Young Kim’s book at the bookshop a while back and chuckled quietly to my amusement.

Photographed in the vein of costumed self-portraits like Tseng Kwong Chi, these images of Young Kim in a suit speak about the alienation of the modern globetrotting man. His work as a creative director brought Young around the world, often causing rifts of isolation and pains of fitting in. Suitman is a humorous manifestation of these intense feelings.

Read a couple of interviews here and here. Photos and movies can be viewed here.

Incidentally, I’ve began my corporate life this week and thought about posting this!