Daegu Photo Biennale Opens
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
After the contemporary arts biennales in Gwangju and Busan, it's now Daegu's turn, hosting a biennale solely devoted to photography. The second Daegu Photo Biennale opened to the public Friday.
Over 1,000 photographs, focusing mainly on Korea, China and Japan, by 200 photographers are on display at the Daegu Exhibition and Convention Center and numerous galleries around the city. It runs through Nov. 16.
Renowned photographer Koo Bohn-chang is artistic director of the biennale whose theme is ``Then & Now: Memories of the Future." ``The theme conveys a sense of the past, the attribute of photography as the 'recorded trace,' and the quality of continuous time through the properties of photography," organizers said.
At the main exhibition ``Memories of the Future," visitors can see contemporary photographs from Korea, Japan and China, and compare them with photographs from the same countries 100 years ago. It is a rare chance to see the drastic changes and evolution of East Asian culture and society in photographs.
The Korean section, curated by Jin Dong-sun, is centered around the theme ``sense of life: vision of new understanding." Twelve artists present a cultural topographical map of Korean society from the 1990s to the present.
Curated by Beijing's Three Shadows Photography Art Center, the Chinese section gives an insight into the state of Chinese modern photography. It features the works of 16 Chinese photographers, including four from Taiwan.
On the other hand, the Japanese section, curated by Iizawa Kotaro, shows photographs of 21st century Japan taken by young artists since 2000.
``Memories from the Past: Photographs from 100 Years Ago'' brings viewers back to when photography was a novelty, and when the East and West were starting to interact.
Viewers can get a rare peek inside North Korea at the exhibit ``Changing North Korean Scenery." Twelve photographers including Margaret Bourke-White, Chris Marker, H. Edward Kim, Hiroshi Kuboda and Chang W. Lee documented life in North Korea from 1945. Taken in 10-year intervals, the photographs show how little North Korea has changed on the surface.
``Sway in the Space" shows works by contemporary Korean photographers who use digital photography to express their creativity and imagination.
Photographs by Han Young-soo from Korea, Zhuang Xueben from China, Chang Chao Tang from Taiwan and the late Shoji Ueda from Japan are the focus of the special section ``4 Hidden Photographers." It hopes to put the spotlight on the four obscure artists, who have ``sublimated the beauty of the black-and-white picture with excellent senses to its peak.''
Throughout the biennale's duration, there are various exhibits, seminars and events for photography buffs and students. ``A Day in the Life of Daegu," located at Gukje Museum, Keimyung University's Daemyung-dong campus, shows photographs of everyday life in Daegu taken by students and residents last September.
The Photo Artist Society of Korea and All Japan Association of Photographic Societies are holding a joint exhibition, ``Now in Japan and Korea" at the Daegu Citizen Center Exhibition Hall. Through mutual exchange between the two groups, 50 Japanese artist-members are visiting Daegu and participating in the biennale.
``Made in 17," is a photography festival featuring works by high school students from all over the country. The participants' photographs will be sold, and profits will be donated to the underprivileged and visually impaired.
Daegu is one hour and 50 minutes by KTX from Seoul Station, or 4 hours and 50 minutes by bus from Express Bus Terminal. Visit www.daeguphoto.com or call (053) 601-5052 or (053) 601-5382.