Page 43 - PHOTODOT 2017년 9월호 VOL.46 Sept

Choi Byung-gwan is a photographer who has shown the most of the
nature of the photographs, insisting on analog way of photography,

based on the perception of "Oriental view of Nature" and "Minimalism".

It is showcased for the first time in the 'Special Interview' his most
recent work <Mother-of-Pearl>.

Water Color 05.archival inkjet print.100x100cm.2006
Choi is currently a professor at the Department of Photography
and Visual Content at Sangmyung University and graduated from
the Department of Photography at Chung-Ang University and the
Fine Photography at the University of Art and Design at the Uni-
versity of Paris 8. Except his showcase of his recent work <Mother
of Pearl> (2017~) in the 'Special Interview', he has held 15 solo
exhibitions with Untitled (1986-1999), In Silence (1997-1998) and
The Sea in me (1998-1999), <Bamboo> (2002 ~), <Water Color>
(2006 ~) and his numerous works are collected in many notice-
able places both domestic and abroad. The work, <Untitled>, was
a black and white photograph of Paris's alleys and the park land-
scapes. It was his first solo exhibition, held at Galerie Anne Rouff
(1990) in Paris, France.
After returning from France, he showed <In Silence>, which was
shot in Seoul and other countries in the world (Santa Barbara, Tur-
key, etc.), showed silence and stillness that appear only for a mo-
ment with black and white photographs. In about the same period,
<The Sea in me>, a photo was taken at the West Sea, Mara-island,
Choi Byung-gwan is a photographer who explores the California, etc., was the first to show the color photographs with
spiritual world through the natural scenery. Because it is the nature its original sea. Since 2000, he has been acclaimed for his portrayal
that is a part of the awareness of self-recovery, or means enlighten- of 'Oriental spirit' at the Shanghai Px2 Gallery, where he exhibited
ment, fundamental, and capable of asking essential questions. It is a 'Bamboo' and 'Water', and at the Soho Photo Gallery in New York.
point which aims at a restoration of holistic ego and is reminiscent <Water Color>, that has been steadily noticed since then, contains
of Minor White who suggested a new direction of photography the wonderful and fundamental 'cycle of life'. The creation and
art. Minor white photographs start from Alfred Stiglitz's Equivalent. extermination of the delicate waves/circles created by the subtle
This equivalent, which means "equality," refers to a photograph that breathing of small fishes over tranquil dawns, the water of the lake,
has a new meaning beyond the original meaning of the subject. contains moments of repetitive life and death. It reminds me the
The objects such as 'water' and 'bamboo' appearing in Choi Byeo- words of Courbet that "beauty is in nature and must be found in
ng-gwan's photographs have equivalent values such as 'I - want to every form of reality." While minimizing the materiality and for-
resemble nature' and consist of metaphorical symbols of 'equiva- mality of the object (water) itself, the artist's subjective emotional
lent aesthetics'. involvement is maximized. The artist's gaze, which is closely related

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