Exhibition traces history of Korea's commercial photography beyond 1984

Koo Bohn-chang's photograph taken for Korean menswear brand Alexio's catalog in 1987 / Courtesy of Ilmin Museum of Art

By Park Han-sol

There's a certain raw and adventurous spirit that exists in veteran photographer Koo Bohn-chang's series of images taken for the 1987 catalog of menswear brand Alexio, which was popular at that time.

Models, either suspended in mid-air or posing with a cheeky smile in front of a now-gone building in Seoul's Namyeong-dong, give off a rather jaunty vibe that is not found in other commercial photography of his time.

"Back then, taking photos for fashion catalogs, especially those featuring models instead of products, hadn't been fully established in the Korean commercial photography scene. This was a product of experimentation born from the hands of Koo," Lee Mee-hye, former features director of Vogue Korea and guest curator for the "UNCOMMERCIAL: Korean Commercial Photography, 1984 and Beyond" show, said at a recent press conference.

As its title indicates, the ongoing exhibition at the Ilmin Museum of Art in central Seoul brings to the fore the historical trajectory and changing style of commercial photography since 1984, amid the rapid economic development and the explosion of consumer and popular cultures, through the pioneering works of 29 photographers.

A new wave of commercialized photography emerged in the 1980s when players like Koo, armed with cutting-edge equipment and techniques acquired from their times studying abroad, returned to Korea and were able to leave lasting footprints in the burgeoning advertising market around the time of the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Mok Jung-wook's "Numero Russia" (2020) / Courtesy of Ilmin Museum of Art

But a drastic shift took place in the photo industry's landscape once again in 1997 after the Asian financial crisis.

"The photographers used to be on the payrolls of a particular magazine or newspaper publisher. But the post-financial-crisis transformation in the labor market pushed them to either become freelancers or establish their own independent agencies and studios," the museum's senior curator Yoon Juli explained.

"This movement coincided with the introduction of a flood of global fashion publications in Korea, starting with 'Elle.'"

As a result, a new generation of photographers, many who built their careers as assistants at the studios and agencies, created a new golden age of Korean commercial photography in the field of fashion since the early 2000s.

Against such a backdrop, the exhibition invites artists who were able to develop their own unique visual vocabulary despite the innately profit-driven nature of commercial photography.

Mok Jung-wook, who took the portrait of K-pop titan BTS chosen as Time magazine's 2020 Entertainer of the Year, showcases a series that visualizes "the other, stranger side" of urban splendor through dark alleyways and neon signs ― as seen in his "Numero Russia" featuring "Squid Game" star Jung Ho-yeon.

A poster for the exhibition, "UNCOMMERCIAL: Korean Commercial Photography, 1984 and Beyond," shows an image captured by An Sang-mi during a photo shoot for the August 2021 edition of Harper's Bazaar / Courtesy of Ilmin Museum of Art

An image captured by An Sang-mi during a photo shoot for the August 2021 edition of Harper's Bazaar, which was also used in the exhibition's main poster, is noteworthy for its explicit focus behind the scenes of commercial photography.

"This wasn't used as a final cut for the magazine, but was taken by chance after An found the whole touch-up scenes between a model and staff members fascinating in itself," Lee said. "I believe the image represents the nature of commercial photography, which is born from all these intricate moments of cooperation and interaction."

One of the highlights of the show is its third section that zooms in on the relationship between commercial photography and the rise of the entertainment industry.

On display in the third section of the exhibition is a series of iconic film posters, including those taken by veteran photographer Oh Hein-kuhn / Korea Times photo by Park Han-sol

As the market for popular culture began to flourish in the 1990s, photography gained momentum throughout a range of cultural sectors from K-pop to cinema.

On view are Zo Sun-hi's black-and-white portraits of celebrities ― Lee Jung-jae, Kim Yuna, Hyun Bin, G-Dragon, and Kim Min-hee, among others ― as well as Ahn Seong-jin's photos featuring the first-generation K-pop artists ― Deux and Clon.

In the field of cinema, artists like Oh Hein-kuhn contributed to expanding the aesthetic role of movie posters.

"Oh's works went beyond merely capturing or documenting a scene from the film to be used as a poster. Instead, he produced the poster to deliver an artistic experience that is relevant to the movie's plot while at the same time, can become a piece of art by itself," Yoon noted.

"UNCOMMERCIAL: Korean Commercial Photography, 1984 and Beyond" runs through June 26 at the Ilmin Museum of Art.

Kim Han-yong's B-cut advertisement photo of bottled coke on view as part of the special exhibition, "B-Cut Advertisement Photos: 1960s-1980s from Kim Hanyong Archives" / Korea Times photo by Park Han-sol