Jingyeong Sansu is a Korean traditional aesthetic term which means continuous observation of nature and harmony with nature, and is also the official name of the new residential style shown in these photographs. Photographer Seunggu Kim has won 2020 the First Prize in the Life Framer Open Call, the Summer Open Artist Award, Aperture Foundation and is the Grand Prix Winner 2019 at TIPC, Tokyo International Photography Competition.
“The perfect place!”
‘A city made of cement, iron, and glass is a fire. Next to the apartment complex, the Han River flows with the Korean’s life and history.
The only thing that will make tender of the hard, fast fierce fire storm is the soft, calm slow-flowing water. Man gets the essence of life by the water.
When the city’s fires make tender by the river, the energy inside of us becomes clear and intense. ‘Blue sky, a good place to have friends the mellow Han river’
(One of South Korea’s construction companies)
"The integration of cherished landscapes into city settings is not a new sensation, and artificial waterfalls and mountains have been commonplace additions to parks, arboreta, and restaurants throughout the urban expansion of Seoul." (Catherine Troiano, Curator, National Photography Collections, National Trust, London)
East Asians traditionally consider "Feng Shui", when they lease or buy a house. The belief is based on "the theory of Yin, Yang and the Five Elements of the universe". In this regard, mountains with spiritual energy are called "noted mountains". Recent trend in Korean housing culture is to copy and recreate the holiest mountain in an apartment complex. It increases the value of the apartment, and at the same time, residents have some psychological satisfaction. The traditional belief that the sacred mountain gives luck, health, and fortune is in our collective unconsciousness. It is not just 'Kitsch' (Camp), it is a mixture of past and modern symbols called "Noted Mountains and Luxury Apartments" with "Feng Shui", that are presenting a new shamanistic landscape in a modern city.
Seunggu Kim
has worked on this series from 2011 to 2020. He has visited around 30 apartment complexes with rock gardens and tree-covered hills.
Select recent milestones include:
Ten by Ten, Houston FotoFest; Grand Prix Winner, Tokyo International Photography Competition; Korean Photographer’s Fellowship of the year, KT&G; The Finalist of 2018 Art Photography, Lens Culture; Supported Artist of 2019 Solo Exhibition, Filter Space; The Korea Society, Aperture Gallery, and The UPI Gallery in New York; Filter Space in Chicago; The Museum of Contemporary Photography of Ireland; Laney Contemporary Fine Art in Savannah; Three Shadows Photography Art Centre in Beijing
New book, BAM ISLET, was published by KT&G Sangsangmadang in 2019.
Read also an article about this series on CNN
Education
2012 M.F.A in Department of Fine Arts, School of Visual Arts, Korea National University of Arts, Korea
2007 Department of Photography, Sangmyung University, Korea
Solo Exhibitions
2019 Better Days, The Korea Society, New York
2019 Better Days, Filter Space, Chicago
2019 Bam Islet, KT&G Sangsangmadang Gallery, Seoul
2018 A Day Trip, Artbit Gallery, Seoul
2017 Better Days, SongEun ArtStorage: White Cube Project, Seoul
2017 City of Glass, BMW Photo Space, Busan
2016 Envisaged in a dream, Post Territory Ujeongguk, Seoul
2015 A List of Landscapes, SongEun Art Cube, Seoul
Selected Group Exhibitions
2020 Information, Fotografiska, New York
2020 Ten by Ten, FotoFest, Houston
2019 KT&G SKOPF Artist of the year, GoEun Museum of Photography, Busan
2019 Beyond Boundaries, Aperture Gallery, New York
2019 Format International Photography Festival, Quad, Derby
2019 Greetings from South Korea, Three Shadows Photography Art Centre, Beijing
2019 Photo London, Somerset House, London, UK
2019 Aint-Bad: Collaborations, Laney Contemporary Fine Art, Savannah
2019 Need/Want, 72 Gallery, Tokyo
2019 Need/Want, The UPI Gallery, New York
2019 Belfast Photo Festival, Belfast
2019 PhotoIreland, The Museum of Contemporary Photography of Ireland, Dublin
2019 Need/Want, No. 3, 4 Warehouse, Taipei
2018 Ring Ring Belt, Donuimun Open Creative Village, Seoul
2018 Jimei X Arles Photo Festival, Xiamen
2018 Role-playing: Rewriting Mythologies, Daegu Photo Biennale, Daegu
2017 Gyeonggi Art Prism 2017, Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art
2016 50X50, Art Sonje, Seoul
2015 Summer Love, SongEun Art Space, Seoul
2015 Our Happy day, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul
Awards (with Grants)
2020 Summer Open Artist, Aperture Foundation, New York
2020 Open Call - First Prize, Life Framer
2019 Ten by Ten, Houston FotoFest
2019 Grand Prix Winner, Tokyo International Photography Competition
2019 Ones to Watch, British Journal of Photography
2019 Fund for Korean Art Abroad, Korea Arts Management Service, Seoul
2018 Korean Photographer's Fellowship-Final Artist of the year, KT&G Sangsangmadang
2018 Selected as a 'Supported Artist of 2019 Solo Exhibition',
Filter Space, Chicago
2018 Finalist of 2018 Art Photography Awards, Lens Culture, Amsterdam
2018 Selected as an Artist for Funds to Support the Solo Exhibition, The Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture
2017 Solo Exhibition Support Award, GoEun Art and Cultural Foundation, Busan
2016 Selected as an Artist for funds to Support the Solo Exhibition, The Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture
2014 Solo Exhibition Support Award, SongEun Art and Cultural Foundation, Seoul
Public Collection
2020 Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, US
2018 National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art , Art Bank, Korea
2017 Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art , Ansan, Korea
2017 GoEun Photo Museum, Busan, Korea
2010 Dong-gang Photo Museum, Yeongwol, Korea
Education
2012 M.F.A in Department of Fine Arts, School of Visual Arts, Korea National University of Arts, Korea
2007 Department of Photography, Sangmyung University, Korea
Solo Exhibitions
2019 Better Days, The Korea Society, New York
2019 Better Days, Filter Space, Chicago
2019 Bam Islet, KT&G Sangsangmadang Gallery, Seoul
2018 A Day Trip, Artbit Gallery, Seoul
2017 Better Days, SongEun ArtStorage: White Cube Project, Seoul
2017 City of Glass, BMW Photo Space, Busan
2016 Envisaged in a dream, Post Territory Ujeongguk, Seoul
2015 A List of Landscapes, SongEun Art Cube, Seoul
Selected Group Exhibitions
2020 Information, Fotografiska, New York
2020 Ten by Ten, FotoFest, Houston
2019 KT&G SKOPF Artist of the year, GoEun Museum of Photography, Busan
2019 Beyond Boundaries, Aperture Gallery, New York
2019 Format International Photography Festival, Quad, Derby
2019 Greetings from South Korea, Three Shadows Photography Art Centre, Beijing
2019 Photo London, Somerset House, London, UK
2019 Aint-Bad: Collaborations, Laney Contemporary Fine Art, Savannah
2019 Need/Want, 72 Gallery, Tokyo
2019 Need/Want, The UPI Gallery, New York
2019 Belfast Photo Festival, Belfast
2019 PhotoIreland, The Museum of Contemporary Photography of Ireland, Dublin
2019 Need/Want, No. 3, 4 Warehouse, Taipei
2018 Ring Ring Belt, Donuimun Open Creative Village, Seoul
2018 Jimei X Arles Photo Festival, Xiamen
2018 Role-playing: Rewriting Mythologies, Daegu Photo Biennale, Daegu
2017 Gyeonggi Art Prism 2017, Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art
2016 50X50, Art Sonje, Seoul
2015 Summer Love, SongEun Art Space, Seoul
2015 Our Happy day, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul
Awards (with Grants)
2020 Summer Open Artist, Aperture Foundation, New York
2020 Open Call - First Prize, Life Framer
2019 Ten by Ten, Houston FotoFest
2019 Grand Prix Winner, Tokyo International Photography Competition
2019 Ones to Watch, British Journal of Photography
2019 Fund for Korean Art Abroad, Korea Arts Management Service, Seoul
2018 Korean Photographer's Fellowship-Final Artist of the year, KT&G Sangsangmadang
2018 Selected as a 'Supported Artist of 2019 Solo Exhibition',
Filter Space, Chicago
2018 Finalist of 2018 Art Photography Awards, Lens Culture, Amsterdam
2018 Selected as an Artist for Funds to Support the Solo Exhibition, The Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture
2017 Solo Exhibition Support Award, GoEun Art and Cultural Foundation, Busan
2016 Selected as an Artist for funds to Support the Solo Exhibition, The Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture
2014 Solo Exhibition Support Award, SongEun Art and Cultural Foundation, Seoul
Public Collection
2020 Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, US
2018 National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art , Art Bank, Korea
2017 Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art , Ansan, Korea
2017 GoEun Photo Museum, Busan, Korea
2010 Dong-gang Photo Museum, Yeongwol, Korea
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