2015 Young Artists Exhibition

"Me in Myself"
KIM Insook, AHN Jun and Taewon JANG

Exhibition: 13 June – 15 August, 2015

From 2012, to consistently support the next generation of Korean photography as an essential supporter, The Museum of Photography, Seoul has openly received portfolios by Korean photographers in their 30~40s working in and out of the country and examined talented and creative works in-depth. The final selected artists will have an exhibition with an accompanied publication, and also museum’s continuous support on connections and exchange activities with other museums and institutions. At last the museum announces "2015 Young Artists Exhibition", works of KIM Insook, AHN Jun and Taewon JANG will be introduced under the title Me in Myself.

Me in Myself will portray "Self-portrait" as its main theme. The three innovative photographers present a series of self-portraits chosen from the works of the past reflecting on several years of personal anguishes as well as recent projects on the subject. Although the process of taking a photograph itself is often said to be the process of getting to know oneself, a self-portrait where the artist stands in front of the camera and not behind it, is a work objectifying an actual "self" and facing it, to actively explore the inner self.

The three artists captures the another ‘self’ that they perceive to understand the ‘self’ in reality. The three photographers narrow the gap between the two ‘self’ as the ‘self’ in reality continuously intersect and run into the ‘self’ that they perceive. ‘Self’ which might be provisional or just a vague illusion experiences consistently the process of facing the ‘self’ in reality, and understand each other. The theme of the exhibition, ‘Self-portrait’ was selected under the assumption that young artists would most fiercely contemplate on themselves and their surroundings, and resonate their thoughts in their work. Museums’ guests would be able to witness the traces of reflections not just about the three artists themselves but also about photography.

The three photographers use their body to study the light and shadow – the ingredients of photography (Taewon JANG), learn the nature of photograph medium itself (AHN Jun), and experiment the potentials of photography (KIM Insook). Their work candidly reveals the process of getting to know "oneself" and the surroundings, and the process of comprehending photography.