'Better Days' – Seunggu Kim's Unique Perspective on South Korea's Leisure Culture, Now Released as a High-Quality Coffee Table Book by Kehrer Verlag
In the past 40 years, South Korea's economy has rapidly developed, leading to significant social changes. Despite long working hours, many Koreans take only half of their vacation time, which they often spend at home due to lack of time. At the same time, South Korean society faces the challenge of an aging population, while a strict hierarchy based on age and social status continues to shape the culture.
Through his compositions, Seunggu Kim explores the unique vacation culture and urban leisure facilities in South Korea. Focusing on people's adaptability and their need for leisure, he documents the challenges of a country marked by contrasts. His photographs reflect the hectic lifestyle and the ongoing quest for relaxation. The series 'Better Days,' which was awarded the Ilwoo Photography Award in 2023, is now being published as a photo book by Kehrer Verlag.
Simon Bainbridge—Author & Former Editorial Director des British Journal of Photography: "What is remarkable about Kim’s panoramas is the consistency of his elevated point of view, rendering people and places as architectural models. In the complex networks of pathways and boundaries, we see how we are shaped by our environment. He draws our attention to the outer edges to show us the workings of things. And in many of the pictures, the spectacle itself is absent, or peripheral. At a cherry blossom festival in Gwangmyeong, we see crowds converging from all directions upon a small amphitheatre. Yet we are presented with a rear view of the stage facade and a cluster of service tents, the nearest of which opens to reveal bored security staff sat around a table, indifferent to the focus of everyone else’s attention."
Seunggu Kim: "The individual leisure activities in the photographs in Better Days are clustered around this foundation of ‘pragmatism’ and ‘community-oriented individualism.’ The Korean order of coexistence, the communal values that refer to and complement each other, are firmly entrenched in a long historical narrative. Ordinary leisure activities, chosen by individuals, are gathered in a single square frame, expanded and arranged into dozens or hundreds of moments, forming multi-layered relationships and coexisting."
Seunggu Kim, a graduate of the Korea National University of Arts and Sangmyung University, specializes in photography and visual arts. His works balance unnatural elements within the image space, offering insights into the complexity of daily life. With a focus on urban and suburban life, as well as leisure and climate, he explores how tradition, modernity, spiritual values, and material desires interact and evolve within Korean society.
He has held solo exhibitions at Filter Space in Chicago and The Korea Society in New York. Additionally, he has participated in numerous group exhibitions worldwide, including at the Center for Creative Photography in Arizona and Fotografiska in New York. His accolades include the Ilwoo Photography Award for Photographer of the Year (2023) and the Young Photographer’s Portfolio Award from the Hanmi Museum (2022). His works are held in prominent collections, including the Pushkin Museum in Moscow and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Korea.
CREDITS
Photographer Seunggu Kim 'Better Days'
Publisher KEHRER Verlag
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