Seunggu Kim: Better Days

Friday, Aug 16 – Sep 14, 2019 12 – 5 pm

Closing reception with the artist: September 6, 6-9


Filter Photo is pleased to present Better Days, a solo exhibition featuring the work of Korean artist Seunggu Kim.

Better Days describes Korean spectacles and the way the people of South Korea enjoy their leisure time. Through photography, Kim is interested in describing how we live, using the camera to show a reality that balances the unnatural elements in the rectangular frame and also describes how we have acclimated to the social ironies of our times.

South Korea has developed rapidly over 40 years, leading to a variety of social incongruities. One of the ironies of this new development is long working hours with very short periods of rest and recuperation. During vacations and holidays, Koreans try their best to enjoy the time off from work, but due to lack of time to travel, they spend most of their time visiting tourist destinations in nearby urban areas. As a result, the leisure places around Seoul and the surrounding suburbs try to entertain their customers with increasing degrees of novelty. This novelty often results in a blend of western and Korean cultures.

Seunggu Kim is a photographer who lives and works in Seoul, South Korea. Kim received an MFA from the Department of Fine Arts, School of Visual Arts at the Korea National University of Arts, Seoul, in 2012. His work has been shown at Format Festival, Derby, UK; Artbit Gallery, Seoul, South Korea; Art Cube, Seoul, Korea; among others. Kim has been a finalist for the Art Photography Awards, LensCulture, and has received grants from The Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture and GoEun Art and Cultural Foundation, South Korea.

This exhibition is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism of Korea, the Korea Arts Management Service, and the Fund for Korean Art Abroad and is partially sponsored by The Illinois Arts Council Agency and a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.

 

Image: Courtesy of Filter Photo