Exhibition Information

First Snow
2016-2019 (이미지 출처 = KF갤러리) Archival pigment ink on fine art paper 130x195cm

Sheep Herd 1
2016-2019 (이미지 출처 = KF갤러리) Archival pigment ink on fine art paper 130x195cm

Mountain House
2016-2019 (이미지 출처 = KF갤러리) Archival pigment ink on fine art paper 90x135cm

Kok-boru(A traditional horse game)
2016-2019 (이미지 출처 = KF갤러리) Archival pigment ink on fine art paper 90x135cm

			The Korea Foundation and the Embassy of Belgium in Korea present Horse Head, an exhibition commemorating the 120th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Belgium, at the KF Gallery and online as VR exhibition The exhibition is held from December 28, 2021, to February 9, 2022. It is the first feature exhibition in Korea of Belgian-born international photographer Frederik Buyckx (b.1984), who was named Photographer of the Year at the 2017 SONY World Photography Awards, the world's most prestigious photography honor. 

The title of the exhibition, Horse Head, comes from the artist's first trip to Kyrgyzstan, which inspired the series of works. Staying in At-Bashy, a small village where he witnessed the traditional horseback game of kok-boru being played, the artist became deeply moved by the local semi-nomadic shepherds' traditional way of life and their connection with horses. Buyckz decided to visit Kyrgyzstan again just two months after his first trip had ended. Kyrgyzstan's harsh cold and the symbiotic life of humans and animals that migrate some 100 kilometers together in such frigid weather came across as refreshingly shocking and fascinating to him. After witnessing humans and animals expanding their territories of life in the brutal wilderness, interdependent on one another, Buyckx chose the name of the billage At Bashy, which traslates to "horse head", as the title of this powerful project in respect and remembrance of these phenomenal migrations.

Magnum photographer Bieke Depoorter writes, "In Frederik's photographs, you cna almost feel the wind cut through your skin as you journey buy horse through the snow-covered landscape." As described, Buyckx's black-and-white photographs emphasize the overwhelming majesty and beauty of Kyrgyzstan's unpredictable nature, as they allow viewers to become absorbed by the landscapes. The figures in the images sometimes seem like they are advancing towards the snowy moutains, and other times like they are disappearing from their settlements; the images soon turn into empty yet solemn monumental landscapes.

This exhibition was made possible through a special cooperation with the embassy of Kyrgyzstan in Korea. In carrying out the Horse Head project, Buyxkz formed a profound bond with the semi-nomadic community of Kyrgyzstan, and the resulting photographs visualize the massive landscapeds that nomads encounter as they ream, presenting an opportunity for viewers to immerse themselves deeply into nomadic life. The works in themselves are reminders of At-Bashy's semi-nomadic community and can be seen as a process of archiving Kyrgyz heritage.

Zelda Chitle, chair of judges at the SONY World Photography Awards, explained, "The work of Buyckx returns th the essence of looking at photography. A landscape is often overlooked but it is central to our existence." While people today often forget this, the relationship between humans and nature is one of the most vital and essential relationships for all of the earth's inhabitants. The people of At-Bashy live in an environment that is utterly different from those of Seoul, Korea, and Brussels, Belgium. This exhibition, held in the cold winter of 2021 in celebration of the 120 year-long diplomatic ties between Korea and Belgium, ios expected to serve as platform for cultural exchange, allowing visiitors to encounter the landscapeds of diverse regions and experience the multiple layers of life.

(Source = KP Gallery)