Photographic KoreaⅠ_curated by Sun Young KIM
We live in a time where we are instantly reminded of the digital photographic process, when hearing the word ‘photography.’ In the past ten years, so many photographers, who used to give such a sacred value to black and white prints, have surrendered to the trend of digital photography. Nevertheless, Byung-Hun Min remains as one of the few photographers who kept up with analogue style photography, and black and white prints. One thing that should not be overlooked in discussion of Min, is that his name itself became a pronoun for a photographic style that represents lyrical scenes of nature in mid-tone gray prints. Whether taking a contemplative manner from a distance or taking a close-up shot of an object, his work boasts a format that never loses its balance. In addition, his prints are in subtle tones that utilize extremely light gray, dark gray or brown shades, representing a lyrical and sensuous atmosphere, a unique tactile sensation which has become his trademarks. For instance, in Weed, Min captured the images of weeds appearing through a translucent dewy plastic on frosty fields, and nameless dried out weeds in sensuous framing and subtle black and white tones. With his delicacy, in Deep Fog, he conveyed the landscapes of trees, bridges, waves, lakes, islands, and a vinyl greenhouse in foggy silhouettes with his understated framing technique. Moreover, in Snow Land, the artist lyrically embodied scenery of a snowy field in a contemplative manner. Indeed, a kind of romance toward ‘picturesque’ scenery of nature, which we commonly expect from nature and speak about, is projected in all of these photographs by Min.
