Working in London, a photographer Chan Hyo Bae will open a solo exhibition at Keumsan Gallery. In this exhibition, 20 artworks chosen among displayed works at the previous exhibition in Korea University Museum will be featured. With 'Exiting in Costume' series, the artist already has many fans in Korea. 'Existing in Costume Witch Hunting' is one of new series, and it expresses a theme of human nature and recognition, and an issue of punishment. Unlike previous series, it puts various people showing up including a main figure and narratives of time and space on a scene.
Even after many years in London, the artist still had a sense of alienation as a stranger. The culture and language barrier came to him as violence time to time so that he tries to show such emotion in an artistic way. The project 'Existing in costume' started from it has been developed from isolation to sense of different, and from here to establishment of identity. Furthermore, it becomes a discrimination against Asian guy and Orientalism or power.
As working under a title 'isolation and prejudice' for last several years, the artist realized that prejudice is appreciated by history or education and it reflects desire as human nature. To visualize power transfer, he chose men in power in English history for a subject, and the reason why he selected them is to maximize and justify personal voice as picking truth, a history. Thus, he intended to have legitimacy through recomposition of English history, but the history itself does not mean anything to him personally.
Therefore, all his works are a process of exploring own identity and dignity. He wants to communicate with others as visualizing thoughts but directional nature of communication depends on the audience.
"An artist makes value and is who writes a personal history. Thus my ongoing value and any prejudice in history are not important. But I want to show them for promoting a change. I just go my way."
- Chan Hyo Bae
*image (left)
© Chan Hyo Bae
courtesy of the artist and Keumsan Gallery
