KIM Oksun
"The Shining Things"

Exhibition: 9 August – 6 September, 2014

The Museum of Photography, Seoul (MOPS) presents for the first time KIM Oksun’s latest series "The Shining Things". This is the first release of the new series that the artist consistently worked on after "No Direction Home", and a photo book including 42 images will be published to accompany the exhibition.

The Shining Thing As They Are
Look at the Tree. Even though they are rooted in a rough and barren land, grew askew by the wind, and covered by branches, they never left the place and stood there for a long time. The trees are always rooted to the place, fastened and they stand as they are in the woods, and in the scene of life. They don’t draw attention but they have always been part of the world.

KIM Oksun deeply observes the subject and documents the fact as a photographer. She had shown realistically the naturalness unpolished everyday life stories of normal people who lived different from the social standards and general criterion. Now the photographer looks at trees radicated in Jeju-do, unexposed but always standing at the same place. The Shining Things is a document of normal trees.

The works repeats the shape, color and form of the trees and comes face to face that fully shows its identity. As the homogeneity inside the shapes of each different tree is found and also the individual differences are revealed, the tree that we passed by stands proudly as a special existence in the scene. The trees stand still exposing themselves to the artist who looks at them and shines as they are. When the artist and the tree recognize each other, the essence of the existence who settled down and adapted itself shines at last.

We see human beings through KIM Oksun’s trees. The trees merged to each other that try to remain as they are at their place for a long time, get tangled in chaos, and endure wind and waves, are resemble to humans. As an outsider and as the few who have lived different from the normal people, it was a long journey overpassing the passing through oneself and came and to the nature. At last as the strong rooted tree, the existence stands as always, where it belongs and shines as they are.

Conquering prejudices and circumstances with great faith in own existence like the tree managing its own part at places behind, KIM Oksun still gaze at the tree and the world as the existence shines brightly as they are.