Bae Bien-U Solo Exhibition takes a closer look at the works by internationally-celebrated photographer Bae Bien-U, who is renowned for his photography of pine trees that mimic ink drawings. In 2006, Bae Bien-U was the first Asian photographer ever to have a solo exhibition at the Titian Art Museum in Spain. The exhibition was followed by a request from the Spanish government for Bae to photograph the World Heritage Site Alhambra Palace gardens for two years. Recognized internationally, Bae also played a leading role in the rapid expansion of Korean photography after 1990s.
Bae called himself more of an artist than a photographer, and he not only engaged in creative activities and fostering young students, but contributed to the expansion of photography in Korea by holding large-scale group exhibitions and pushing photography beyond a simple tool for representation to a tool for artistic expression. Having studied photography on his own after majoring in Design, Bae became absorbed in the photography of Laszlo Moholy Nagy and Edward Weston, and was greatly influenced by them. Bae even visited the places that were captured in works by photographers like Ansel Adams and Edward Weston.
This exhibition takes a look at Bae's photographic works which he calls 'paintings drawn with camera instead of a brush'. For the first time in Korea, this exhibition presents the extensive oeuvre of Bae Bien-U, from photographs of the ocean and stones in his hometown, the pine tree photographs as recognized as to be in school text books, hills that capture the soft contours of nature in Korea, the exquisite Changdeokgung Palace garden of natural and man-made beauty, and the photographs of Alhambra Palace gardens that mark traces of long history and harmony with nature.
Exploring his own artistic language stemming from Korean aesthetics which emphasizes simple harmony, Bae's works deeply lull the contemporary audiences of different historical and cultural backgrounds to a universal state of meditation. Organizing Bae's early to recent works into different series according to his creative methodologies, this exhibition presents Bae's painterly photographs that bring out the essence of his subjects.
 |
 |
Bwn1o-025hc(1996)
C-Print mounted on Plexiglas in artist's frame
153 x 275 cm |
Bwn1b-018hc(2003)
C-Print mounted on Plexiglas in artist's frame
52.5 x 93 cm |
The back garden in Changdeokgung Palace is composed of small gardens that were created reflect the balance between natural and man-made beauty. The tower and pavilion are placed by the waterside, leaving the forest to emanate its natural power and beauty. The small gardens of Buyongji, Aeryunji, Bandoji and Banwolji center around the Okryu stream. Bae focused on the harmony between natural and man-made beauty in the gardens in Changdeokgung Palace.
 |
 |
Ahbr1a-124he(2007)
C-Print mounted on Plexiglas in artist's frame
153 x 275 cm |
Ahbr1a-133he(2007)
C-Print mounted on Plexiglas in artist's frame
153 x 275 cm |
The Arabic architectural style of the Alhambra attempted to create heaven through the garden. This was done to produce a heavenly natural aesthetic indoors. Due to the region-specificity of the palace which lacks water source, the garden in the Alhambra Palace receives its water supply from the Sierra Nevada desert through a complex water system. Having worked for an architectural magazine from 1970s to 80s, Bae was able to express the unique sensibility of history and culture from the ancient palace and its gardens.
