From December 8, 2012 to February 21, 2013, the GoEun Museum of Photography presents a large-scale exhibition that brings together works revealing the origins and essence of photography. At a time when digital images proliferate, this exhibition offers a meaningful opportunity to reconsider photographic identity and to experience the fundamental power of the medium.

Within its relatively brief 170-year history, photography has emerged as a new art form grounded in its inherent properties, exerting significant influence on other artistic genres and fulfilling a central role in the age of images. While photography has long been recognized as an art in itself, its diverse applications within contemporary art have ushered in what may be described as a golden age.

Yet more than twenty years after the introduction of digital technology into cameras and computers, Korean photography finds itself inundated with rapidly produced digital images, placing so-called traditional photography—photography that is truly photographic—in an increasingly precarious position.

While digital photography, as a medium aligned with the contemporary era, must continue to evolve, the current one-sided dominance of digital imagery raises serious concerns regarding the future of Korean photography. The essence of photography lies foremost in its basis in factual documentation.

Photography must be grounded in reality and faithful to its subject; this is both its origin and its fundamental principle. Preserving the roots and purity of traditional photography is as vital as, if not more vital than, generating new meanings. At this moment, we are passing through a time when this importance cannot be overlooked.

In this spirit, the GoEun Museum of Photography organized this exhibition around photographers whose practices are grounded in the historical legitimacy of photography. Through the exhibition, the museum seeks to reexamine the purity and essence of the medium. The eleven participating artists gathered with a shared commitment to preserving and advancing photographic identity.

Although their approaches differ, these artists share a common dedication to photographic history and authenticity. In an era when photography continues to expand as a significant genre within contemporary art, this exhibition aims to reaffirm the original meaning and value of photography and to offer a grounded perspective on its future direction.

References

• 《The Origin 근원》)