Photo courtesy Alejandro Cartagena
On having an exhibition in Korea
The exhibition at Ryugaheon Gallery marked my fifth trip to Seoul in as many years. The gallery itself is known to photographers but not always to a larger audience. It sits tucked away in a little alley that is reached after a fairly labyrinthine walk through the back streets behind the old Imperial Palace.
When you arrive, you enter into a tiny zen garden with gravel underfoot and rough hewn wooden benches. Built in the traditional hannok style, the gallery itself feels more like a modest temple or a forest shrine than an art space per se. Clusters of tiny yellow flowers sprout here and there on its tiled roof. On one side of the garden is a bookstore and café. Beyond that, there’s an office and a workshop. On the other is the entrance to the exhibition area.
Having this show in Seoul changed my relationship with the city in an essential way. It’s hard to describe the feeling of belonging that comes from having your photographs on display and being able to bring friends to visit day after day. It’s like welcoming them into your house. As if you’ve set up residence there. Not only that, but friends bring friends and -before you know it- your circle has expanded dramatically to include all kinds of interesting people.
But of course, the greatest pleasure is seeing the work in a new context and hearing back from local audiences. It was a long journey indeed for the Latin American mechanics to make: not only from Willets Point -but from their countries of origin. Perhaps because of Korea’s Buddhist roots, many people remarked on the passing of the seasons in these photographs and the way the light and the elements redefined the landscape depending on the time of the year. Others compared Willets Point to neighborhoods in Seoul, which have –or perhaps more interestingly once had- a similar feel. One particularly perceptive man noted that the passing of the seasons underscored the useful life of machines and how everything in the world has a cyclical duration.
On two separate occasions, my Korean mother in law organized a large group of friends to come and visit the exhibition. I especially enjoyed these visits because the ladies dressed up in their finest and made a day out of it. They really enjoyed themselves. And as such, they lingered, spoke from the heart and felt free to reminisce. One woman responded to an image of a small stack of tires covered in snow with a childhood memory of her own, remembering the large earthenware jars of kimchi sitting in her mother’s yard during the winter months. Hearing that was a modest epiphany; I felt like the image had translated beautifully and poetically in a most unexpected manner.
Exhibition in Taipei
Three works from YONKEROS are included in the exhibition "I Want More" which examines consumerism and waste.
Installation views
Installation views of my YONKEROS exhibition at Ryugaheon Gallery in Seoul, Korea.
Cool YONKEROS feature in this month's Polka Magazine!
Two page interview in Harper's Bazaar Korea
Gwyneth's on the cover, but I'm inside!
Perfect timing with my solo exhibition in Seoul.
My favorite moment
Possibly my favorite moment from last night's opening at Ryugaheon Gallery was when my niece Shiwoni pointed out her favorite photo in the exhibition. She then made a heart shape - hands over her head - to show her approval.
Opening night at Ryugaheon Gallery, Seoul
My exhibition YONKEROS opened yesterday night at Ryugaheon, one of my favorite photo galleries in Korea.
The exhibition was curated by Joanne Yang and includes 23 images from the series.
Installation Day at Ryugaheon Gallery in Seoul
Tired and jet-lagged from the long haul flight from NYC -but also super excited- I arrived yesterday at Ryugaheon Gallery in Seoul.
This is curator Joanne Yang's blueprint for the exhibition. It's gonna be an amazing exhibition!
YONKEROS BOOK SIGNING AT ICP
On April 12th I had the pleasure of presenting YONKEROS at the International Center of Photography (ICP). It was a true celebration with many friends, colleagues and students in attendance. What a thrilling and perfect night in New York City!
Meeting Flor Garduño
Yesterday at AIPAD: New York has its share of thrills and surprises. Leafing through a gorgeous monograph by Flor Garduño, I turned to her gallerist, Spencer Throckmorton, and asked if he knew where Flor was living nowadays. He smiled and with a gesture of his arm indicated Flor was seated in a chair right next to where I was standing. 25 years of admiration became emobdied in her smile. What a moment.
photo by Hye Ryoung Min
YONKEROS book signing at La Fototeca
Last month I had a blast presenting YONKEROS in Guatemala City. The venue was La Fototeca's amazing new gallery space, Fototropia. I invited my good friend, Guatemalan poet Alejandro Marré to join me in conversation and we talked at length about the project. My entire family was in the audience as well, including my little niece Yael -a precocious and talented photographer herself- who would have liked nothing better than grab a mike and fire off some questions of her own.
Above a photo from the presentation courtesy of my colleague Carlos Lopez Rueda. On Friday April 12th, I'll be signing books at the International Center of Photography (ICP).
YONKEROS Book Signing: La Fototeca, Guatemala
I will be signing books on Wednesday March 20th at La Fototeca in Guatemala City and discussing the project in conversation with Guatemalan poet Alejandro Marre.
YONKEROS books arrive in NYC
This week 300 copies of my first monograph YONKEROS were shipped to me in Harlem. 1700 more copies are fanning out across the globe and hit stores in Europe, Australia, Asia, India, Africa, Latin America and the USA starting March 31st!
Books are already available on pre-order from the DAP Catalogue:
http://www.artbook.com/9788415303930.html
A dream come true!
Testing the Nikon D800
This week I borrowed an instructor D800 from New York Film Academy (where I teach) and did a bit of testing with it. This shot was taken at f/2.8 using a Nikon 24-70mm zoom. Normally I prefer to shoot with a prime lens, but we have yet to get some of those in our equipment cage. Overall, I'm really happy with what I've seen: the files are incredibly sharp and I've had no issues with digital aberrations. I'm seriously considering upgrading from my current camera, the D700.
Frist Solo Exhibition in Korea
Opening at Ryugaheon Gallery on May 21st, 2013. Curated and organized by Joanne Junga Yang. Can't wait to see the photographs from YONKEROS and the Willets Point Junkyards in such a pristine and traditional Korean architecture.
YONKEROS on press in Seoul, Korea
For the past few days I've been on press in Seoul overseeing the publication of YONKEROS. The long airplane ride from NYC only seemed to underscore the great anticipation and excitement of it all.
As many of you know, my fiancée Hye-Ryoung Min is a gifted photographer and being a native of Seoul it was wonderful to share this experience together. She lent an additional pair of - very sharp! - eyes to this process.
Being on press is a supremely challenging and complex process: every signature involves juggling multiple images, and in my case sometimes a mix of both black and white and color photos. However it is also an incredibly rewarding experience and there is really no substitute for supervising the printing in person. I'll never forget the feeling of watching the first image of the book rolling off the press, accompanied by the text of Francisco Goldman's luminous title essay.
The book is being published under the imprint of La Fabrica Editorial (Madrid) and will be distributed worldwide starting January 2013.
Talking shop with Vince Cianni and Graham Macindoe
Had a chance to catch up with Vince Cianni -who took this photograph(s)- over lunch in NYC. Over the years Vince has been a mentor and a very good friend to me and I was glad to break bread together. Midway through our meal we were joined by Graham Mcindoe. We were introduced and as we started talking it dawned on me that Graham and I had actually met about 15 years ago when he used to work for Howard Greenberg Gallery and I was printing for Gilles Peress. Man, did that bring back some memories.
LATITUDES exhibition in the Guatephoto festival
Candid moment
Loved this moment, photographed by exhibition curator Fabian Goncalves just minutes before the opening of "On Labor" at Art Museum of the Americas.