[명사 부부 사진전] 'Love Profiles' ups and downs

2008.11.14

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Im Kwon-Taek and his wife Chae Ryeong/Paik Gun-woo and his wife Yun Jeong-hee[Photo by Lee Eun-joo]

 

All married couples once promised to love each other for better or for worse, in sickness and in health. Unfortunately, not all of them actually manage to keep their vows.

Photographer Lee Eun-joo found 43 high-profile couples who have stayed true to their words. Lee's exhibition "Profiles in Love," at Sun Gallery in Insa-dong, showcases photos of well-known figures in Korean society and their spouses, including the world-renowned pianist Paik Kun-woo and his wife and former actress Yun Jeong-hee.

Lee took the photos of the couples in recent times, and displayed them side by side with photos from their past.

Surprisingly, in each photo, the husband and wife look very much alike -- in the past, but especially in the present.

"This may be evidence that they are becoming one," says Lee in "Profiles in Love," a book accompanying her exhibition.

"In view of the rising divorce rate among the younger generations, I also wanted to show the images of couples who are on their beautiful journeys as one."

Heart-filled essays or love letters written beside the photos give a hint about the secrets of their love for one another.

Jo Jung-rae, the renowned author of "Taebaek Mountains" and "Arirang," says that he would marry his wife Kim Cho-hye, a poet, again in the next life. "She really does not have any shortcomings, because I simply love all her faults," he says. "I am fortunate and proud to be Kim Cho-hye's husband."

Im Kwon-taek, who won the Best Director award at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival for "Chihwaseon," writes down his love for his wife Chae Ryeong, a former actress. "My wife, who always silently gives me a boost, calls me a pillar. When she says that, it is much more moving than any line in any movie," he says.

Kang In-sook, wife of Lee O-young, chair professor of Ewha Academy for Advanced Studies and a former minister of Culture and Tourism, talks about how they first met as freshmen and how they now worry about each other's health. "If you are so desperately afraid of someone's body being gone, that is, inevitably, love."

The exhibition runs through this weekend at Sun Gallery in central Seoul. Admission is free. For more information, call (02) 734-0458 or visit www.sungallery.co.kr

By Park Min-young

 

(claire@heraldm.com)