The Second Modern Photography Society Exhibition, Pamphlet, 1963. Image provided by Museum Hanmi
Modern Photography Society
* Source: Multilingual Glossary of Korean Art. Korea Arts Management Service
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Salon Ars
A photography group established in 1960. The group received attention after the first exhibition was held in 1961. Former members of the Shinseonhoe participated in the group, including Lee Hyungrok, Chung Bumtai, Lee Sanggyu, Kim Yeolsu, Shin Seokhan, and Kim Haeng-o. The group sought to retain the interest in realism espoused by the Shinseonhoe, while improving upon the lack of formativeness and creativity that the group was criticized for. To this end, in their photographic images, the group emphasized the contrast between light and dark and layouts that emphasized formativeness and simplistic placement of objects. Salon Ars disbanded after their inaugural exhibition, however, its membership remained active as part of the Modern Photography Society.
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Lee Hyungrok
Lee Hyungrok(1917-2011) is a renowned artist in the history of modern and contemporary Korean photography. Born in Gangneung, Gangwon-do Province, Lee graduated from Gangneung Agricultural High School. After graduation, he learned photography at a photo studio (which also served as a shop selling hardware related to photography) in Gangneung run by his eldest brother Lee Sangrok. In the mid-1930s, he joined the Gangneung Sauhoe, a photography club, and began to fully engage in photography. The Gangneung Sauhoe is an amateur photographer group organized by Limb Eungsik, a photographer who moved from Busan to Gangneung at the time. In 1937, Lee along with Lim and ten other members of the Gangneung Sauhoe prepared about fifty photographs and held the inaugural exhibition of the Gangneung Sauhoe. From 1937 onward, he repeatedly won honorable mentions at the Joseon Photography Exhibition [Joseon sajin jeollamhoe], a contest hosted by the Joseon Federation of Photography [Jeon joseon sajin yeonmaeng], establishing himself as an amateur photographer. After Korea’s liberation from Japan and the Korean War, he departed from the trend of salon or painterly photography and advocated for realistic photography that highlighted snapshots, recordability, and a documentary approach. Particularly in the 1950s and 1960s, Lee captured fatigued lives of ordinary people in the city and its outskirts in warm black-and-white language by photographing shoemakers, fishermen, street vendors, and children on the streets. He contributed to the development of Korean photography culture by advancing realist photography and exploring new modes of expression for modern photography, while forming photography groups and training the younger generation after Korea’s liberation. In particular, he played a leading role in the founding and activities of photography organizations in the 1950s and 1960s, including Sinseonhoe (established in 1956), Salon Ars (established in 1959), and the Modern Photography Society [Hyeondae sajin yeonguhoe] (established in 1960).
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Contemporary photography
Contemporary photography differs from a modernist approach to photography that highlighted the technical qualities of the image. Robert Frank’s photograph collection The American published in 1959, is considered a turning point in indicating a new style based on idiosyncratically cropped images and unusual focus. Contemporary photography became prevalent when conceptual art emerged between the 1960s and the 1970s. The New Wave of the Photography exhibition, which opened at the Walker Hill Art Center in Seoul on May 18th, 1988, is considered as marking the starting point of Korean contemporary photography. The Horizon of Korean Photography exhibition at the Total Museum of Contemporary Art in Jangheung, Gyeonggi-do in November 1991 provided a further turning point. The founding of galleries specializing in photography, including the Timespace, Pine Hill Gallery, and Hanmadang Gallery, has also contributed greatly to the popularity of contemporary photography in Korea. Over the last 30 years, many foreign-educated photographers like Koo Bohnchang, Kim Daesoo, Lee Juyong, Lim Youngkyun, Han Okran, and Choi Kwangho have returned to Korea and released works reflecting new trends in the medium and further enhancing its national status as a contemporary art form.
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Sinseonhoe
A photography club formed in April 1956, by young photographers in their 20s and 30s, such as Lee Hyungrok, Lee Ansun, Jo Gyu, Son Gyumun, Lee Haemun, Chung Bumtai, Jo Yonghun, Han Youngsoo, An Jongcheol, and Kim Beomsam. The group adopted an attitude that diverged in technique and content from Salon photography, which centered on realist photography. In doing so, the group established a new trend in Korean photography. The group was not a social club, but rather a pure research association that elevated the dominant methodologies of Korean photography to a new level. In 1960, internal disputes within the Shinseonhoe led key members including Lee Hyungrok to resign and form Salon Ars.
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