Siyeon Park

By yaohong | Published: December 16, 2009

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.

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

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Ji-in Kim: Who hates to wear school uniform

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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.

Posted in Korea, Portraits | 3 Comments

Kwon Ji hyun

By yaohong | Published: December 13, 2009

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

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

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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.

Posted in Art, Contemporary, Korea | 2 Comments

Noriko Ishihara

By yaohong | Published: December 13, 2009

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.

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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.

Posted in Art, Contemporary, Japan, Korea | 2 Comments

Kim Ji-Hye

By yaohong | Published: December 13, 2009

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.

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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.

Posted in Art, Contemporary, Korea | Leave a comment

Serry Park

By yaohong | Published: December 13, 2009

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.

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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.

Posted in Art, Contemporary, Korea | 3 Comments

Showcase: Chung-Ang University

By yaohong | Published: December 13, 2009

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.

Posted in Art, Contemporary, Korea | Leave a comment

KL Photoawards 2010

By yaohong | Published: November 28, 2009

A little more than a year ago, the KL Photoawards was launched as a competition to scour the globe for contemporary portrait photography. Time passes so quickly and they’re back once again. The competition is open to both amateurs and professionals, although they have removed the professional category this time round.

Here are the contest details:
Portrait Open (Individual)
USD$ 10 per image up to 8 images
1st USD$ 2,500
2nd USD$ 1,250
3rd USD$ 700

Portrait Open (Stories)
USD $50 per entry minimum 5 images, up to 8, and a 250-word narrative to accompany
1st USD$ 2,500
2nd USD$ 1,250
3rd USD$ 700

All prizewinners will also receive the Analogue/Digital Man Trophy, a specially commissioned sculptor from British artist Matt Richards. Winners will also receive a 1 year’s subscription to ArtMalaysia magazine.

For the first time, all main prize winners will be invited to enroll in the KL Photoawards Professional Photographic Development Program.

The contest will be launched next week on Dec 1, online submissions begin on Mar 1 and ends on Mar 31. Finalists will be announced in April and prize winners in May. Check out the website for more details.

Posted in Competition | Leave a comment

Of Forest, Sea and Mountain’

By yaohong | Published: November 17, 2009

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Of Forest, Sea and Mountain’ is a collection of images depicting the deconstruction of conventional landscape by three talented photographers Dju-lian Chng, Jovian Lim and Ang Song Nian , which will be exhibited at 2902 Gallery from Nov 25 to Dec 16.

Evoking a sense of an unusual mix of romanticism and avant-garde, it is the personal self-interpretation of landscapes and a reflection of the emerging state-of-the-art innovations of photography. This exhibition will challenge the very archetypal notions of landscape and introduce a fresh visual introspective of their personal constructed landscapes deliberately imbibed with intended meanings about life, technology and space.

Having been acquainted with the photographers’ works, I do believe that we are heralding a new frontier in the local photography scene. One would never imagine images like this being exhibited ten years ago but look at how things have changed since then.

Dju-lian and Jovian works as a team and their online portfolio can be seen here. Unfortunately, Song Nian’s website is still in progress (well, the last I spoke to him). I can’t wait to see the prints!

Posted in Exhibitions, Singapore | Leave a comment

Chengdu Contemporary Photography

By yaohong | Published: November 11, 2009

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© Liu Ke

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© Chen Chunlin

Eight Chinese photographers are having an exhibition from Nov 19 to Dec 31 at the interesting-looking Redstar 35 building in Chengdu. The participating photographers are: Adou, Chen Chunlin, Feng Li, Li Jun, Luo Dan, Liu Ke, Muge and Yang Yi. The group’s images focus on a slice of life in modern day China, often with a penchant for the more mysterious aspects.

Click here to see more images.

Posted in China, Exhibitions | 2 Comments

Luke Cassady-Dorion

By yaohong | Published: November 10, 2009

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TOP, from (“2922“)© Luke Cassady-Dorion, 2008

My friend, Luke, in conjunction with H Gallery, is having an exhibition at the EAT ME Art Restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand. He has been based there for the last couple of years (learning lots of languages, teaching yoga and creating art!) and was a wonderful host when I visited last year.

This series of work was shot in 2008, when Luke returned home to San Francisco after Obama won the elections. He had planned to capture the signs of the Bush administration but decided to focus his sight on the change – in the form of renewed hope and pride, that was creeping into the country.

For more, please visit his website.

Posted in Exhibitions, Thailand | Leave a comment

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