한미사진박물관 "요술,이미지" 전시 리뷰

Photos peek into other genres

 

The only thing the pieces at the exhibition "Magic of Photography" at the Museum of Photography in southeastern Seoul have in common is that they are based in photographs.

Only about half are hanging on the walls, normally in frames. The rest of the photos are printed on or made into unexpected forms, such as different-sized boxes, long paper rolls clustered together or stretched out vertically.

"The point is to confuse the visitors about photography by showing them these new attempts. Various types of photos are on display. We organized the show room so that visitors will have to see the works in an order that will confuse them the most," said curator Lee Gye-young.

Fourteen Korean artists including Jung Yeon-doo are showcasing more than 50 photographs, stereo photos, installations and videos.

The works are fairly original.

Take Lim Taek's photos for example. They feature a fantasy-like paradise with white clouds and mountains, which is so unreal that it looks like a painting. But peering into them carefully, one can see that all appearing elements are pictures taken from life.

The secret is digital composition. He photographed the white set he built with styrofoam and cotton and added photos of moons, suns, trees and animals on top of them. The actual set he used for shooting is displayed at the exhibition.

Bae Joon-sung preferred a more analogue way to charm his photos, by using lenticular or vinyl and oil paint.

A woman stands in what looks like a European ballroom. As the photo is covered in lenticular, she is fully dressed in a party dress when seen from one side, but as the viewer moves to the other side, she slowly turns naked.

Another of Bae's work shows a woman holding a baby up in the air, also in an occidental setting. Curiously enough, the work is covered with see-through vinyl. Lifting it up, viewers will find only a naked woman waving her hands into the air. Bae, who is also a painter, had oil painted the woman's dress and the baby on the vinyl.

Jang Seung-hyo took a step further and used his photos only as materials for his paper sculpture.

He cut the pictures he took in various spots, keeping in mind what colors he would need later on, and connected them together to make robots, birds, or life size motorcyclists. The pieces are so delicately glued together that they remind of quilts.

The exhibition runs through Oct. 1 at the Museum of Photography in Bangi-dong, southeastern Seoul. Tickets are 3,000 won for students and 5,000 won for adults. For more information, visit www.photomuseum.or.kr or call (02) 418-1315.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young