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Modern Korea captured through Limb’s camera
By Do Je-hae
By Kwon Mee-yoo
A black and white photograph depicts ruins of Myeong-dong during the 1950-53 Korean War. The only building in the photo that still exists is the Myeongdong Theater, which served as City Hall at that time. The stark capture of that era is the work of first-generation Korean photographer Limb Eung-sik (1912-2001).
The National Museum of Contemporary Art (NMOCA) is holding the exhibition “Limb Eung-sik: Art of Recording, Records of Art” at its Deoksu Palace annex to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the photographer’s birth.
It is co-organized by the Research Institute of Photographic Archives. Lee Kyung-min, head of the institute, said he designed the exhibition in the context of the history of photography in Korea.
Limb had a close relationship with NMOCA, as he brought in “Family of Man,” a photography exhibition organized by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, to NMOCA in 1957 and the first-ever photography exhibition organized by NMOCA in 1982 was a solo display of Limb’s work.
In the first section “From Art Photography to Photographic Art,” Limb’s earlier works are on display. Limb is considered as the pioneer of photography in Korea. He began with pictorialism, depending on the picturesque aspect of photography and moved to “Limbsgram,” a method developed by Limb combining photograms and pigment prints.
Becoming a war photographer changed Limb and his work and he turned to portraying real life in Korea.
The second hall is themed “Documentation of Cultural Properties and Artists.” From the 1960s to ’80s, Limb took photographs of traditional architectural gems of Korea such as Gyeongbok Palace.
“Limb tried to capture the beauty of ancient buildings as well as the architecture,” Lee said. “Architect Kim Swoo-geun recommended Limb to take the project and it shows his wide personal connections throughout the art scene.”
He also took portraits of artists, characterizing their occupation and those of Kim Whan-ki, Chun Kyung-ja and Chang Uc-chin and composer Ahn Eak-tai are on exhibit.
Limb was also known as a photographer of Myeong-dong. His disciple Hong Soon-tai said, “Though Limb’s body might be at the other world, his soul would be still watching over Myeong-dong. He observed the area that much.”
The “Myeong-dong, People in Myeong-dong” section has photos of the heart of Seoul from the 1950s to the late ’90s. Fashion there also caught Limb’s attention and he documented the change of styles through his camera.
The subsection “A Day of Photographer Limb in Myeong-dong,” reconstructs his favorite route in the area with photos on a map. Some of the photos here are disclosed to the public for the first time under the permission of his family who kept the rolls of film.
The last hall exhibits a timeline of Limb’s life as well as portraits and early photos taken in Busan. Cameras he used and magazines he published give a glimpse into the life of the person who raised the level of photography in Korea.
The exhibition runs through Feb. 12 and admission is 5,000 won. For more information, visit www.moca.go.kr/engN or call (02) 2188-6114.