Exhibition Information

			The expression “super-fine” has two definitions: that something is refined, superior, and of exceptional quality; and that something is extremely or unusually thin and light. As it becomes increasingly easy to take and share photos, the agility of images seems to replace the traditional significance of photography. Yet, some photography generates a weight that completely contradicts the commonly understood attributes (speed and lightness) of images. This photography entails a methodology where the photographer consciously, and paradoxically, adopts the various conditions in which images are produced/dispersed to build up a “density”—a weight—in the photo. Let’s call this “light photography.”
Super-fine introduces nine notable artists working in the discipline of photography and explores the possibilities of contemporary photography as the essential source of image production today. The artists use various methods—from snap photos to photo collages to other mediums, such as moving image and installation, that use photos as a means of production—to challenge the conventions and limitations of photography. In doing so, they accommodate the agility of images to, conversely, achieve a certain level of density in their work. Consequently, what fills the faces of the resulting images, finally existing in complete equilibrium, are traces that indicate the size and mass of the image, the physicality of the image-object, the amount of capital and labor contributed, the extreme amount of detail, the acutely compacted resolution, the error and malfunction of recognition technology, and temporality.
In art history, the quality of lightness, usually conveyed through speed or movement, was revered as a core aesthetic of the avant-garde. This belief repeats itself in early Dada and Pop Art, which readily took advantage of the printing press and its cultural impact, and in contemporary media discourse, which is propelled by advocates of the radical post-internet era. But does this also apply to photography? Is the discipline “photography” even relevant today, when the speed of capturing and compressing an image is more crucial than patiently observing the subject through the lens? Super-fine photos become gradually heavy and dense through the lightness and shallowness of images. By revealing this irony, this exhibition demonstrates how “light photography” generates today’s dominant visual culture.

Period
2021.10.1.(Fri)―10.24.(Sun)

Venue
Ilmin Museum of Art (Exhibition Hall 1, 2)

Organized by
Ilmin Museum of Art

Sponsored by
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korea Arts Management Service, Hyundai Sungwoo Holdings

Artists
Goo Gijeong, Ki Seulki, Kim Kyoungtae, THE COPY TRAVELERS, Oh Kai, Lee Kanghyuk, Jung Yeondoo, Chung Heeseung, Choi Yongjoon

Director
Kim Taeryung

Chief Curator
Yoon Juli

Curators
Choi Hyein, Baik Jisoo

Coordinators
Seo Jin, Yoon Jihyun, Jang Sumi, Han Juhee, Park Sehee

Public Relations
Choi Yunhee

Communications Liaison
Konno Yuki

Administration
Choi Yoojin, Shin Youngwon, Shin Hyejun, Jung Eisun

Graphic Design
paper press

Spatial Design
Seokundong

Technical Support
Mijiart

Translation
Kim Jisun