Artist Han Sungpil was named ‘Notable Artist of the Year’ in the publication section of the 7th Ilwoo Photography Award.
2016-03-21 l Hit 2096
INTERVIEW
Artist Han Sungpil was named ‘Notable Artist of the Year’ in the publication section of the 7th Ilwoo Photography Award.
 Artist Han Sungpil was named ‘Notable Artist of the Year’ in the publication section of the 7th Ilwoo Photography Award. For him, the purpose of art is to reveal the experiences of the artist. Therefore, a variety of experiences are valuable to his work. ⓒKim Choung Hyun |
Fifth-year member of the Korean Artist Project, also known as KAP, artist Han Sungpil was named ‘Notable Artist of the Year’ in the publication section of the 7th Ilwoo Photography Award on March 2nd. In addition to receiving the publication section award, he was given the opportunity to publish a book featuring a collection of his solo work through a well-known German publisher, as well as the chance to host an exhibition. The ‘Notable Artist of the Year’ from the Ilwoo Photography Award has chosen winners every year beginning in 2009, and was founded by the Hanjin Group-affiliated Ilwoo Foundation in order to discover promising domestic photographers. Artist Han Sungpil has been pursuing a few subjects continually, including the façade project, the fence screen installation project, and the South Pole project. The foundation highly values the artist’s philosophy on photography in his work.
The artist shared his thoughts on accepting the award by saying, “I am glad that I received the award. Above all, it is very appealing since I can commemorate it by publishing a book. It is meaningful that I can introduce my work through the book.” The award-winners from the publication section get to publish their book of solo work through Hatje Cantz, a famous publisher in Germany.
Artists usually introduce their work through an exhibition hall. But Han Sungpil thinks the duration of exhibitions are very short and believes it is very important to publish a book. “I want to publish a book that organizes my previous work conceptually,” he said enthusiastically.
Artists usually introduce their work through an exhibition hall. But Han Sungpil thinks the duration of exhibitions are very short and believes it is very important to publish a book. “I want to publish a book that organizes my previous work conceptually,” he said enthusiastically.
He has steadily been working on the façade project; through photographs of buildings covered with a fence screen installation, he leads audiences to introspection. In May of last year, he received attention from a large project. He covered the exterior of a building located in downtown Havana, Cuba with a fence screen showing an image of the Gameunsa Temple Site stone pagoda. The project’s purpose was to share a message of peace and stability from the stone pagoda of the Gameunsa Temple Site.
For the South and North Poles projects, he tours the South and North Poles to capture traces of human history through photography, exploring whale fishing, mine development, etc., and inspires people to think about environmental issues.
For the South and North Poles projects, he tours the South and North Poles to capture traces of human history through photography, exploring whale fishing, mine development, etc., and inspires people to think about environmental issues.
 Artist Han Sungpil, installing fence screen outside of the Unification Security Exhibition Hall located in the Civilian Control Line. ⓒKim Nyung-man |
Lately, Han Sungpil has been busy with creating work for a group exhibition he is participating in, which will be held in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi-Do this coming May 19. The exhibition will be held to pray for peace and communication, and to break through the boundaries of two differing ideologies within the context of the confrontation between South and North Korea. Artist Han Sungpil will exhibit work by installing fence screen outside of the Unification Security Exhibition Hall located in the Civilian Control Line.
The artist commented, “The fence screen installation outside of the Unification Security Exhibition Hall in the Civilian Control Line will deal with the communication and unification of the Korean Peninsula. I will continue to create work that provides audiences the chance to think about influencing the world in positive ways.”
He received attention from art lovers overseas with the fence screen project exhibited in Cuba last year and will continue to work overseas more actively this year. He will start off by participating in a group exhibition, which will be held in an old castle in France on March 25, and will be involved in the Dubai Photo Festival Group Exhibition after that. In July, he is planning on staying and working in a temple in France and will show the work in a private exhibition this coming fall. Also, he is going to join the Korean Contemporary Art Exhibition, which will be held in Moscow, Russia and will be involved in a residency program in Iceland in December.
The artist mentioned, “There will be many overseas activities this year. I think it is important for me to experience many things, since I am still young. I believe art is something that an artist brings out from his or her experiences, so it is very precious for me to have opportunities to undergo various experiences. I will enjoy it all as I work.”
Written by Hyo-won Kim, a journalist at Sportsseoul, eggroll88@hanmail.net
2016. 3. 31 ⓒKorean Artist Project
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