The Korea Herald

피터빈트

J Ahn’s photographs capture daily life in urban setting

By Shim Woo-hyun

Published : Nov. 10, 2019 - 17:25

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Photographer J Ahn is holding her solo exhibition at Art Space J in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.

Titled “City Colors II,” introduces photographs taken on Ahn’s travels to major urban tourist destinations, such as New York, Paris and Seoul.

“CITY COLORS_5th AVE.NYC#02. NYC” by J Ahn (Courtesy of the artist) “CITY COLORS_5th AVE.NYC#02. NYC” by J Ahn (Courtesy of the artist)


The latest exhibition, which is the second edition of her 2009 exhibition “City Colors,” features 52 photographs.

Each city has its own color, and the photographer’s aim is to capture the different colors.

“I grew up in cities, which I think of as forests in our civilization. If primitives in the past held knives and spears to hunt, I hold a camera and go after the various colors of cities. There are numerous different colors, and the ways in which they come together are beautiful,” Ahn said.

Ahn’s work mainly captures daily life in urban settings, such as streets with fashionable billboards or open-air cafes full of people. The beauty is where urban landscapes join together with even very tiny aspects of mundane everyday life, according to the artist.

“I walk around cities to spot a location. Then, I think of a scene I want and wait for hours for the right moment, thinking of that space as a stage that I need to direct as if it were a play,” Ahn said.

The exhibition runs through Dec. 26.

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)