A
Parallax Gaze on Photography
Park
Youngtaek (Professor at Kyonggi University, Art Critic)
For
several years, a photography open call titled “Gallery Lux Emerging Artist
Award” had been held, but it was temporarily suspended due to circumstances.
Following the relocation of Gallery Lux to Ogin-dong, the exhibition 《Resight/Remind》 was organized, bringing together ten artists who had previously been
selected through the competition: Kim Jeong Hoe, Kim Taedong, Park Jeongpio,
Park Chanmin, Seo Youngchul, Sung Jungwon, Yang Ho Sang, Won Beomsik, Jeong
Kyungja, and Cho Junyong. Personally, through participating in the selection
process, I had valuable opportunities to survey the work of young
photographers.
This allowed me to encounter a wide range of artists and
practices, as well as to observe the tendencies of contemporary photography.
The artists selected through the competition were given the important
opportunity to present their work in solo exhibitions organized by Gallery Lux,
which likely encouraged them to further develop their artistic practices. In
principle, the role and mission of a gallery lie in discovering new artists,
providing platforms for their work, supporting the continuity of their
practice, and actively introducing them to the art market.
However, it is
highly questionable whether the many galleries in Korea are fulfilling this
role. In such a context, Gallery Lux’s long-standing efforts—through its
emerging artist competition and solo exhibitions—have provided invaluable
opportunities for the Korean photography scene. Now that the gallery has moved
to a new space, one hopes it will renew and expand its program while building
upon its previous initiatives.
Today,
young artists enjoy more abundant opportunities for exhibition than in the
past, along with relatively diverse support systems and spaces for presenting
their work. The emerging artist competition organized by Gallery Lux can be
understood as part of such a support system. Although limited to photography,
it also offered glimpses into expanded tendencies within the medium.
While the
concept of genre has largely lost its significance today, once an artist
chooses a particular medium, it becomes necessary to engage with its distinct
properties and to articulate them as part of one’s practice. In other words,
photographic practice inevitably involves grappling with the tension between
medium and content, or the critical point of contact between the two.
The works
of photographers, through their varying conceptual perspectives and technical
approaches, ultimately raise questions about the world they confront while
sharing what might be called a “parallax gaze”—a way of looking that probes
beneath the surface. The artists selected through the competition have
demonstrated a broad spectrum of interpretations of photography, with each work
encompassing a wide range of meanings.
Many works, though modest, effectively
employ photography as a medium to question the world observed in everyday life,
while simultaneously reflecting on what photography itself can be. Photography
begins with the act of seeing. What remains from that act ultimately leaves a
trace—something like a wound or lingering resonance—in the viewer’s retina and
heart.
The deeper that impression, the stronger the photograph. The ten artists
presented here continue to explore new directions as extensions of their
earlier work over time. 《Resight/Remind》 offers a valuable opportunity to
trace these developments and trajectories. What, then, has taken place in their
work over the years?
