Page 33 - PHOTODOT 2017년 7월호 VOL.44 Jul

전국노래자랑, 충남 부여, 2013, 102X127cm, Digital Pigment Print 전국노래자랑, 경기도 용인, 2015, 152X195cm, Achival Pigment Print
People who appear in his photographs are the contes- Korean war refugees. Korea is the only divided country in the
tants of the show outside the performing stage. In the photographs, world. He says that, therefore, he would continue to work on
they show exaggerated gestures and facial expressions as if they <Last Wish> as a Korean living in the Republic of Korea. However,
are still too excited after realizing their fantasy of being on TV what I am more interested in his work on robots. He is currently
show. These photographs contain Byun’s unique photographic per- working on project with robot as a theme, which is part of his
spective that captures the imageries of human desire within using portrait work series from <Jjak-pae>, <National Singing Contest>
the most honest language of photography. The portrayal of “emo- and <Last Wish>.
tional excess” caused by the discharge of desire hidden inside them He began the robot project when he saw a child in his youth in
allows us to peek into their life. His unique realism is another big a robot. He says he wants to expand the scope of his photogra-
strength of Byun’s photography. phy via the portraits of refugees and robots so that he could face
If <Jjak-pae>, his first portrait photography project, was a projec- objects and facts face to face without avoiding them. Also, he says
tion of himself living in a white community as a racial minority, the photography is like his own heart. To him, photograph is a visualiza-
portrait of people in <National Singing Contest> is also part of tion of his thoughts or their reconstruction using other methods. I
hidden desire within himself. His portrait photography is in fact, look forward to see how his “robot portraits,” which he is working
although not revealing it directly, the portrait of ordinary Korean on using the camera shutter of his heart, will turn out to be. The
people in the undercurrent of Korean society. They are also the interview with Byun Soon-cheol at his studio near Hongik Univer-
portrait of himself as well as the portrait of Korea today. sity continued for a long time, which was as long as his long life’s
Byun is currently concentrating on <Last Wish>, which is about journey in portrait photography.

59

vol.44.indb 59 2017-06-28 1:02:17