Kyungwoo Chun

Kyungwoo Chun (born 1969 in Seoul) has for many years worked on photographic projects and organized performances in which the audience is actively involved. Chun attained international recognition through his portraits, many of which have a characteristic blurriness in their movements-the consequence of extended exposure times. Through the years, the artist has extended the exposure times of his photographs from a few minutes to several days. The artist captures mystery and the „unseen“ within a photograph, creating a replica of reality.

As diverse as the artistic approaches seem at a first glance, Chun considers both the performances and the photographs to be in equal measure "visible manifestations of that which is not visible."

 

Ever since the early 2000s, performance took place in parallel with the photography. These are temporarily limited processes which can be carried out individually or as a group. As author and initiator, Kyungwoo Chun largely takes a back seat. He establishes a framework in which the participants can act independently. They generally have the possibility of leaving behind something of their own. Sometimes it is a personal object, a photograph, or just the answer to a question. In other cases, their physical presence is already sufficient. The sensitization to an altered perception of time and the intensification of a dialogue with oneself and with others are essential aspects of his artistic practice.

Kyungwoo Chun has made a name for himself internationally. His oeuvre has been presented in many solo and group exhibitions in Europe and Korea. Furthermore, he has realized numerous performances with participation of the public in many cities including Barcelona, Seoul, Berlin, Liverpool, Zurich, Mumbai, Bremen and New York. The artist's work is represented in major museum collections including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston(MFAH), Huis Marseille stichting voor fotografie in Amsterdam, Kunsthalle Emden, Museet for Fotokunst Odense, Musée Mac/Val in Vitry-sur-Seine, The Museum of Photography Seoul, National Museum of Contemporary Art in Korea(MMCA) among others.