Bae Bien-U has been practising the art of photography for around forty years. Today, he is undeniably Korea’s greatest photographer. Recognised worldwide, his pieces speak a universal language, reflecting, above all, the Korean people’s preoccupation with living in harmony with nature.
Bae Bien-U takes photographs of nature in perpetual movement using panorama mode. His iconic series on sacred trees, the ocean and the Orums – volcanic hills on a Korean island – encourage the audience’s spirit to take a break to escape more easily to and meditate on this landscape.
The series of sacred trees was presented at Chaumont-sur-Loire in 2014.
The most austere and deliberately pared-down images are presented as part of this exhibition dedicated to the Orumshills. They seem like powerful abstract paintings, which have a strong impact on our imaginations through a subtle interplay of colours: white, grey and infinite shades of black.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
BAE BIEN-U
SOUTH KOREA
Born in 1950 in Yeosu, South Korea. Lives and works in Seoul, South Korea.
From 1981: photography professor, Seoul Institute of the Arts, Seoul, South Korea.
1988-1989: Research Faculty, Photography & Design Department, Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, Bielefeld, Germany.
1978: MFA, Hongik University, South Korea.
1974: BFA, Hongik University, South Korea.
Bae Bien-U is represented by the RX Gallery and the Axel Vervoordt Gallery.
