As
one of the leading Korean photographers Yook Myong-Shim has
investigated the sentiments and identity of the Korean people. By projecting
his own unique perspectives onto his surroundings, he has been able to form a
true rapport with subjects and thereby he has succeeded in capturing scenes
that reveal what are most Korean and the affective propensity rooted in the
depths of Korean minds. As a photography theorist he laid the foundation for
active discussions on contemporary photography in the barren wilderness of the
Korean photography scene of the time, and as an educator he has focused his
efforts on helping his students develop their own distinctive way of looking at
things.
Born
in 1932 Yook entered the world of photography in 1964 when he was over thirty
years old. At the time Korean photography was divided into two camps: realistic
photography and salon photography, and the then Korean photographers were
working in trends that were not much differentiated from one another. To
overcome this situation, he strived to discover a range of ways of looking at
things by studying by himself the history of world photography and the history
of art. His early photographs including his "Impression" series well attest to
such efforts of his. His boldness in terms of composition was unprecedented in
the then existing documentary photographs: the central part is left empty or
the peripheral parts are cut out leaving only the main thematic components. He
abandoned the methodology of
realism to deliver as they were those familiar objects or ideas in the everyday
life, and his subjects were defamiliarized as they were filtered through his
camera lens so as to stimulate one's imagination and thereby to enable him or
her to be immersed in wholly new visual experiences.
In
the 1970s he embarked on the ten-year series project, "Portraits of Artists"
In this series those extraordinary Korean artists are portrayed as ordinary,
familiar people while addressing the idiosyncrasy of Yook’s vision and bringing
to light how a true communication with subjects can be achieved.
In
his so-called "Korean Trilogy," which he worked on from the 1980s to the 2000s
and consists of the "Baekmin, Ordinary People," "Jangseung, Totem Poles," and
"Black Sand Bathing" series, his inimitable perspective on and insightful
understanding of his subjects, characteristic of his previous works, are more
tangibly detected. Dealing with the life of commonplace people who form the basis
of Korean society, these three series have been evaluated as not only depicting
the superficial appearances of objects but also conveying the spiritualities of
the human figures and objects. Also, as they illustrate the traditional Korean
way of living and the lives of mundane people, these works encourage
present-day Koreans to reflect on their identity and sentiments.
As
a photography educator and theorist Yook has made a cardinal contribution to
the growth of Korean photography. Starting in the 1970s when no theoretical
books on photography had been written, he actively wrote and translated many
books on the world’s photographic practices. He also participated in the early
phase of the establishment of photography departments at domestic colleges and
universities including Seorabeol Art College (Later it was merged into
Chung-Ang University), Shingu College, and Seoul Institute of the Arts, and has
spared no efforts in developing his students into world-famous artists. It is
not exaggerating at all to say that he was the first who established in Korea
an arena where discourses on contemporary photography could be formulated and
shared.
While
allowing one to observe and understand the significance of Yook Myong-Shim's
over fivedecade photographic career in the history of Korean photography which
spans for 130 years, this book will also contribute to the promotion of the
thorough assessments and examinations of those Korean photographers and their
works that deserve further careful attention.
