There Exist Images

What photograph means is to record something using light. However, photograph can’t reproduce certain object or the surroundings of the object as they are, since all the things in this world are constantly changing, and so are their situations. In this sense, it can be said that photograph has its limit. This limitation, however, can provide other possibilities or conditions for photograph. The photographer, Kwang Mo, makes full use of this point. The undertone of his work can be explained through thinking of 4 aspects of his artwork; image, direction, place and process.

Image

Sometimes, when I see a picture of myself, I question myself whether the person in the picture is real me. He looks like real me, however, in some way he look unfamiliar. I have hardly had this kind of feeling toward painting. At the exhibition I visited lately, I met a painter. In an instant, he drew a portrait of me with brush-pencil, and gave it to me as a gift. Though the picture didn't represent the exact image of me, it didn't feel unfamiliar to me. I think this feeling suggests the difference between images represented in photos and images in painting. Interestingly, the photos taken by Kwang Mo, through detailed and delicate works, make me think about this difference in a new way. The images in his artwork have an atmosphere both from paintings and photos. The artist uses formative techniques to create this kind of images. For example, he makes unfamiliar sceneries overlap with familiar ones, and makes whole color combination with neutral colors. Also in his photos, he creates unexpected or absurd situation and hides narratives that cannot be found easily. These attempts make it possible for spectators to enjoy his art works in various aspects. The images he reproduced in his photos are realistic, emotional, dreamlike, and esthetic. His photos have multiple layers and various images lie on each layer overlapping each other. This reminds me of images in movies. However, his latest work, a series of photos he took in the South Pole, is little bit different from his earlier creations. In this series based upon the theme of historicity of ice, the artist just intuitionally captured images of Mother Nature. In a great setting that nature made, he didn't create the images. He just met the existing images. And he took pictures as a record of this meeting. In this sense, the series became a symbol which spectators estimate his esthetics on photograph with.

Direction

Most of the images in his photos were directed. However it doesn't mean that the artist wanted to stress on this direction or make some dramatic effect with it. In fact, he fully understands that in some way, reality itself is already directed one. Hence his work is taking pictures of directed reality; re-directing already directed one. Why does he do this kind of work? As far as I understand, what the artist wants to do is to show 'invisible things' that exists between directed photos and directed real world. His photos are telling us that there exist some invisible things in this world, not showing us how to see the world. That is, all the directed images in his photos are shown only for exposing invisible things, not for highlighting certain theme. Thus explaining that his art work is hanging between reality and imagination can be a too simple explanation for us to fully understand his photos. His direction on his photos is rather an index revealing the fact that photos are traces and memories of invisible things.

Place

In Kwang Mo's artwork, the place photos are taken has important meaning. He usually takes photos in the wilds like a desert or the South Pole. Why? Because of the images existing there. The place he shot is not only just a physical space but also a space of nature and a space a civilization was built on. Visiting a place and take pictures of it is assuring ontological meaning of the place. Through this process, an unfamiliar place can be a familiar one, and vice versa. What the artist reproduces through his art work is this transformation. To shoot a place is to create images of ontological meaning of the place. At this point, the place changes into a series of images. The images are there. The artist go there with his camera, and cut off the images and put them into his pocket as if he cut off some images from a magazine using scissors. His latest work, <Historicity of ice>, directly shows this relationship between a place and images.

Process

Can photograph be an art? It seems that Kwang Mo doesn't care about this big question. What he does care is taking pictures and whole process of doing it. Images exist in certain place, and he just cut off those images mainly using a tool named 'direction'. He just brings images, not creates ones. Starting from the thought that images already exist in each place, the process for the artist to try to show us those images is condensed in his photos. If there's one attitude Kwang Mo has consistently had toward his art work, it's reflecting this whole process in his photos.