KwangHo Choi, a passionate photographer who dedicates all he has to his photography is the next artist to be presented by Goeun Museum of Photography’s Annual Project <Busan Observation>2014. <Busan Observation> is a decade long project, assigning an experienced and talented photographer every year to document the history and local colors of Busan in his or her own unique views which are exhibited at the Museum once completed. Followed by HongGoo Kang from last year, the project’s second artist KwangHo Choi has consistently worked on the oceans and shorelines of Busan starting from 2013. From Gijang and Wolnae in the north east to Gadeok-do in the south west, he has ceaselessly walked to capture Busan, which came down to an image of borders: The border where ocean and land meet, the border where nature and history meet, and the border where the stranger KwangHo Choi and Busan meet. <Shoreline, the Ocean of Breath> by Choi has fully encompassed the process of such borders bombarding and blending in.
Often in the case of projects, an artist would focus more on setting the concept of the work. Stating a lucid concept based on the intent would yield text with depth. However, Choi on the other hand vividly captures every animating moment of the scene alive through his intuition. To him, photography is life. In other words, Busan is not a target of objectification but life itself that is encountered through photography in the fierceness of life. That is why his photographs from Busan created by his sharp instincts and observation are meaningful. He certainly displays what it is to live, or rather what it is to survive through photographs of his life and his work.
Yet it does not mean he takes photographs without any standards or basic settings. His shoreline project dates back to 1996 when he explored the history and reality of Korea through photography while walking the shorelines with the students from Dongshin University, starting from the eastern north borderline that extended to the south and west coast. Those early shoreline projects through which he recognized the place he stood and imagined what’s beyond has evolved into photographs taken like breathing, as he threw himself to the unfamiliar city of Busan. His work has visualized the everyday life and the inner parts of Busan with careful observation and they are fervent, emotional and full of energy. He does not try to describe Busan beautifully, recreate it in any fantastical way or show it objectively. He unveils the landscape that is very much subjective yet so Busan like the unique way that he lives in photography. 

KwangHo Choi fuses various approaches and formats for creative photography. To highlight this style of his own, <Shoreline, the Ocean of Breath> is composed of three sections. The first is a photogram of KwangHo Type that shows the “Origin” that combines Choi’s photographic deed with shamanism of Busan oceans. “Origin” focuses on the grass-root features of Busan and its people. The second section is “History” that’s composed of images he took on a national holiday. This section shows the contemporary history of Busan that has gone through the 16th century Japanese invasion, opening up of the ports in modern days, and the Korean War in prints. The third part is “Identity” where photographer KwangHo Choi and the people of Busan meet each other through the ocean and shorelines of Busan. The works on display include photograms that photographically express the materialism of Busan ocean, self-portraits of Choi, people of Busan gazing at their reflection in the mirror and drawings on a Busan map. Choi rediscovers Busan with sensuous mapping using his own body.

KwangHo Choi often states that “Photography is a language remembered by the body” and such style is concentrated in this exhibition. It is also a process of recognizing others and reflection of one’s own life proceeding to a photographic deed. In that sense, photogram is more than a simple format to Choi. It shows how his body becomes one with the camera to unite with the foreign location named Busan instead of taking the photographs at a distance as an observer. In the exhibition we will encounter the strong life and energy unique to Busan through the extraordinary moments created by planning and by chances. Then Choi’s sincere affection on Busan will be confirmed once again.

Busan is a city that has faced the dynamic era of Korea squarely. It is also the first place to adopt photography and is a gateway open to the world where diverse cultures mingle in energy. Through Goeun Museum of Photography’s Annual Project <Busan Observation>, multiple faces of Busan will be discovered by skilled photographers of Korea which will be more than simple documentation. They will become the jewels of Korean photography while contributing to expansion of historical and cultural spectrums in the area.