VOP Issue 23 : 韓國專題 South Korea Issue

“A Study of Contemporary Photography in Asia”, a special series initiated by Voices of Photography, takes a close look at contemporary photography culture and art practice from the Asian perspective and aims to gradually expand our knowledge of image culture and reflection with our readers. In this series, we extended our reach and invited image cultural workers and creators from across Asia to join the editing lineup at Voices of Photography in order to draw a profile of the development of Asia’s contemporary photography scene through multi-cultural observations, in the field discussions and cross references.

In the first installment of this series, we take off from the Korean Peninsula in Northeast Asia. We invited Sujong Song, the founder and director of the Seoul Lunar Photo and now working in the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, South Korea, to join us as a Guest Editor and discuss in depth the development of photography in South Korea in the past decade. At the same time, she features ten South Korean contemporary photographers whose work sheds light on the current state of photography in South Korea. Song also hosted an intergenerational dialogue in Seoul specially for this feature with Bohnchang Koo and Honggoo Kang, both photographers, as well as image education and cultural workers, and Jinhwon Hong, an image creator and director of “space nowhere”. Together, they examined closely the ups and downs of South Korea’s contemporary photography art and culture. In addition, Jungmin Lee, a South Korean curator, and Jisoo Park, the editor of the photography magazine Vostok, explore in detail South Korea’s contemporary photography works, publications, exhibitions, art venues and “new(sinsaeng) spaces”, and the mechanism of government and private awards and subsidies in the country, allowing us insight into the culture of photography in South Korea.

This is our first attempt at a collaboration with editors from across Asia. In this special series, as our team of editors share their observations, writings and dialogues, their aim is not to outdo one another, nor show off the cultural power of their countries. On the contrary, what the readers can see for themselves in this series are sincere yet critical analyses and reflections of the cultural scene of photography in Asia. Using this series as a pivot, we will take a transverse view of the development of contemporary photography in Asia and share our experiences both similar and different, as well as the potential and challenges of contemporary photography creation, history and culture in different regions. Through this, we also look back at our own cultural situation.

As we were making the South Korea photography feature, the divided North and South Korea hit headlines across the world due to recent international political turbulence making us feel keenly conscious of the interconnectedness of East Asian histories and geopolitics. We also realized the need to pay close attention to regional linkages and influences in Asia. As members of the Asian cultural circle, we hope to continue to have breakthroughs in how we appreciate the world (and photography) and bring our neighboring regions closer to us so that our understanding can become clearer and more diverse, all through this special series.