Jung You Hee _〈PAPER〉 Editor in chief
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JULY 2023
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The encounter of Kim Woo Young’s photo series “THE VASTNESS I” reminded me of a poem by Kang Eun Gyo, a poet who shook my soul in my youth. In my early days, when the blue blood surged through my veins, my sole desire was to create a poem that would save the world, or rather, resonate to cleanse people’s weary and turbid souls. However, sadly, I have been alienated from poetry. It is true to say that I couldn’t take a single step away from the original aura of poetry.
As I looked at each photograph of Kim Woo Young’s series “THE VASTNESS I” the poem “If We Met as Water” by Kang Eun Gyo came to mind. Eventually, I unfolded a worn-out poetry collection containing the poem and recited it while gazing deeply into Kim Woo Young’s water photographs, just as if a blind person were reading braille letters with the fingertips.
If we met as water,
which droughty home would not welcome us?
What if we stood with tall trees
and flew with the rumbling sound of rain,
What if we kept flowing until dusk
and wetted the roots of a dead tree,
lying on the deepening river alone,
Ah, what if we reached the shy maiden sea,
(Continued)
- Poem by Kang Eun Gyo
When I first saw Kim Woo Young’s water photographs, the first thought that came to my mind was that water is the source of life. Varying in form, color, and texture, the water in his photographs is the source that nurtures and cultivates life. Proven though genetics, biology, theology, and philosophy, this fact serves as evidence and testimony to the essence of life. However, I felt something missing to express the impression from Kim Woo Young’s photographs with the narrative of “the source of life”.
In that context, the mention of poetry has a connection not only with the poet Kang Eun-gyo but also with the human being Kim Woo Young. About twenty years ago, when we first met at a studio in Yeoksam-dong, he was an extraordinary presence in the commercial photography industry. Looking at a few commercial photographs he took at that time, I felt that he and his photography were reminiscent of poetry. Both his personality and photographs were not verbose or verbose, whether in relation to people or photography.
Poetry encompasses certain rhythmic patterns and essential elements such as symbols, metaphors, similes, paradoxes, and contradictions. Kim Woo Young’s photographs always contain these important elements of poetry, and this is a crucial point that connects his previous works to his current photographic endeavors. When you look at the photographs in the series “Boulevard-Boulevard” compiled in the photo book “THE VASTNESS I” which captures the abandoned houses in a ghost town that was once thriving but deserted by people, Kim Woo Young captures vibrant spaces with vivid and distinct colors, as if he is determined not to lose the thread of life. The magnitude of space, vivid coloring, and the aesthetics of prominent colors in the photographs vividly showcase poetic symbols, contrasts, and paradoxes.
Just before the release of his photo book “THE VASTNESS I” I asked him, "Why did you choose water as the subject of your photographs?" Initially, he intended to photograph water because it is a vast source of life following the earth. However, as he continued shooting, he realized that water is a mysterious entity that possesses not only material but also spiritual aspects. He first noticed that numerous forms of life rely on water for survival. But as he delved deeper into his work, he became captivated by the overwhelming forms, mysterious patterns, and metaphysical aspects of water. It was a process similar to the curiosity aroused by the depths of the universe, as he delved into the philosophical aspects of water. The grandeur and rhythm of water, the tranquility akin to floating alone in the universe at times, evoked a sense of awe and even brought tears to his eyes. He frequently experienced a sense of wonder when faced with the beauty of the diverse colors of water, to the point where it took his breath away. The encounter with vast bodies of water allowed him to perceive the particles, atoms, and molecules of water.
This gave him a sense of connection between water and the order that exists when finite beings, such as humans, transition into elemental states and become part of the circulation orbit of the universe. Such thoughts are encapsulated entirely in his series “THE VASTNESS I”.
For his “THE VASTNESS I” photo project, he traveled to locations such as Yosemite and Yellowstone in the United States, capturing water's diverse facets. In Iceland, he explored Reykjavik, Reykholt, and Thingvellir, among other places, while photographing water. He also photographed various aspects of water in China and Tibet.
When he roamed the ghost towns in the American West for his “Boulevard-Boulevard” series or wandered through regions abundant in water for his “THE VASTNESS I” series, he continued to press the camera shutter without being chased or tracking time. It was not about pressing the shutter for a specific purpose but rather embarking on a pilgrimage with an empty mind to seek out a “moment as eternal as possible” in other words, the ultimate enlightenment.
Once again, I contemplate the rich, beautiful, majestic, turbulent, or calm flow of Kim Woo Young’s water photographs, which are multilayered and immersed in various shades of blue. These photographs were not taken in a short period but were captured over a span of more than ten years, resulting in thousands upon thousands of cutouts.
Therefore, the water photographs I am currently viewing represent the history of water worldwide. By beholding the products of his belief with my own eyes, I come to accept that his “THE VASTNESS I” series, which captures the essence of nature rather than relying on technique and skill, is a work that delves into the essence.
In an era where thousands or millions of pieces of information quickly pass through our lives via the digital network, what role does Kim Woo Young’s photography play? Even simply gazing calmly at his water photographs allows one to feel the settling and purification of the mind's buoyancy. This can be seen as the ultimate peace, a subtle joy, and a new form of meditation that can be encountered by witnessing the profound aspects of water.
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