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I like photography. I eagerly waited for the opening day of the exhibition and visited the venue the very next day. The exhibition of photo archives by Jeon Jae-hong, Kim Ki-chan, Lee Jeong-lok, and Jo Choon-man was being held.

Before it is aesthetics, architecture is the reality that contains life. The modern and contemporary architectural landscapes in photographs showcase the cultural value rather than the architectural value of form and space. They continue to reveal the image of the era captured within the everyday spaces that are still a part of our lives.

Architecture from the Japanese colonial period, frozen in time

Photographer Jeon Jae-hong's photo collection, which records scenes of Japanese colonial rule, consists of works taken consistently from 1998 to around 2001 in the areas of Naju, Jeollanam-do, Gunsan, and Ganggyeong-eup in Chungcheong-do. Through these records, he emphasizes the need for the tragedies of colonial rule and war to disappear. The landscapes, frozen in time without changing for other purposes, exude a desolate aura.

When discussing modern and contemporary architecture in Korea, there is a phrase that is often mentioned. It is a perspective that views it more as a “legacy of Japanese imperialism” rather than modern cultural heritage. During the period of Japanese colonial rule, the emergence of railway facilities, dams and reservoirs, the Oriental Development Company, etc., in regional hubs to plunder land, grains, and more from Korea contributed to the rapid transformation of the urban landscape.

Me shyly smiling somewhere in an alley

Memories of my childhood routines came to mind. Before I knew it, I found myself shyly smiling somewhere in Kim Ki-chan's photograph. The places in Kim Ki-chan's alley photographs are also precious locations of my cherished memories. While walking through the alleyways, intertwined like a maze, I would also come across steep hills. Despite gasping for breath, there was somehow a sense of joy in the air.

When my memories of the alleyways were fading away, I rediscovered moments of nostalgia by looking at Kim Ki-chan's “A Look at the Backstreets” photographs. The alleyway where the elder sister is carrying her sister, the short-haired girl gazing at the camera, and the mischievous six-year-old kid, was a playground that was incredibly fun and safe at the time.

“On the day I first entered that alleyway, the lively atmosphere of the bustling alley reminded me of the alleys in Sajik-dong from my childhood. I immediately decided, ‘My photographic theme will be the emotions of people within the alleys, the title will be “A Look at the Backstreets” - this will be my lifelong theme.’”

The encounter of home and modernization

Lee Jeong-lok documented rural households adapting to the country-led modernization process in his series called “Glocal Site.” Adding a traditional Korean hanok roof with colored steel plates on top of a slab roof creates a unique architectural composition. This fusion can be seen in various architectural elements such as village community centers with raised platforms, container houses, and rural households. These elements reflect different time periods, residents' lifestyles, and needs.

What is the meaning of the Saemaul Undong movement in the architecture history of South Korea? The Saemaul Undong movement, initiated in the 1970s, refers to a national government-led campaign aimed at standardizing and improving the rural living environment through agricultural development. During this period, the underdeveloped rural houses gradually transformed into mixed architectural forms known as “Italian-style house” and “slab-roofed house.”

The industrial landscape takes center stage

Jo Choon-man's photographs shine even more when darkness falls upon the world. In the deep of the night when the city is asleep, the lights of the industrial site shine even brighter. Referring to the large industrial facilities that appeared before him, he described them as “machines that announce their existence and roar.” He documented buildings constructed during the industrialization process, such as steel mills, ironworks, and petrochemical facilities.

From the late 1960s to the 1970s, South Korea pursued the modernization of its industrial structure through the implementation of the second and third five-year economic development plans. Afterwards, starting from the 1980s, a rapid industrial structural transformation took place, shifting from agriculture to heavy industries. Large-scale national industrial complexes were established in Ulsan, Yeosu, and other areas.

The cover of the photo book “Jo Choon-man's Heavy Industries” caught my eye at the exhibition hall. On the cover stands a man dressed in a white safety helmet and work clothes. The protagonist in the photo is the photographer Jo Choon-man himself. The author is not only a photographer who captures industrial beauty but also a part of the industrial site in reality.

I spent a long time sitting and contemplating the landscapes within the photographs. As I walked out of the exhibition hall, I reflected on my thoughts. “I've spent two whole hours here?” I thought to myself. Considering that the exhibition space wasn't particularly large, it was surprising to realize that I had spent such a long time there. I unfolded the book “The Photographer Who Loved Alleys, Kim Ki-chan: 10 Years Later” that was placed on the stool and immersed myself in the landscapes of each artwork captured in the tablet. “Well, wouldn't anyone have done the same...?” I thought to myself. The exhibition is held until Sep. 20 at Special Exhibition Hall 2 of the Asia Culture Museum.

Learn More: Im Dong-jung curator of the Research and Investigation Department

• Are the exhibited photographs the originals?

  The exhibition material is part of a collection titled “Photographers of Korea.” The material was collected over a period of 3 years from 2014 to 2016 with the aim of building an archive of Asian photography. The ACC has the artist's analog films and photographs as digital copies. The photographs on display are printed copies of the digitized material.

• What other ways are there to explore the ACC Archive Collection?

  You can explore the ACC Archive Collection at the ACC's online archive(archive.acc.go.kr). If you visit the ACC, you can easily access the collection through the technology-based experiential exhibition kiosk, ACCex.

ACC Archive Link Click here to visit the page