YOUNGHO KANG
사진을 찍을 때, 대상과 목적에 맞는 음악을 항상 틀어 놓고, 마치 춤을 추는 듯, 지휘하는 듯, 대상과 교감하며, 내면을 끌어내는 독특한 연출력으로, 그는 “춤추는 사진작가”라는 별명으로 불리운다. 1999년, 영화 ‘인터뷰’의 포스터의 사진 작업을 시작으로, 그는, 한 장의 사진 안에 정보뿐 아니라, 정서와 스토리를 담는 “인문학적 기획력”을 인정받아, 그 후 약 15년 동안, 대중에게 익숙한 수 많은 상업 광고 작품을 만들어 내었다.
2009년부터 그는 자신만의 순수예술 작품 활동을 병행하고 있는데, 자기 자신을 비롯해, 수많은 대상과의 인터뷰를 통해, 세상을 비추는 또 다른 거울의 이미지를 사진과 퍼포먼스로 보여주고 있다. 2017년, 그는 19대 대통령 후보들을 인터뷰하고 사진작업을 한 중앙일보의 칼럼 “Who are you?”를 통해, 각 계파의 정치인들을 인간미의 관점에서 공감할 수 있는 기회를 선보였다. 최근에, 그는 대한 민국 전체를 비추는 거울이라는 컨셉으로, KBS와 함께, 국민 아카이브 “한국사람”을 기획했다.
평범하고 지루해 보이는 일상의 내면을 내시경의 관점을 통해, 알록달록한 보석들을 찾아내고 있다
Youngho Kang was born in 1970, Seoul, South Korea.
He is well known as a commercial photographer in South Korea.
His nickname is “Dancing Photographer”, a nickname given to him because of his unique shooting style, which is that while taking pictures he communicates with the model through dancing, or very much as a conductor, with music always playing in the background.
He graduated from Hongik University, where his major was French Literature, which means that he has no special education in photography, but he still managed to in a short time become the top photographer in the commercial area. In this case he confesses that he was very lucky, getting chances like these.
Given this, he has a powerful planning ability that is based in the humanities, which shines through in his directing ability that makes for compelling stories being visible in the pictures, as well as a unique ability of communicating, that extracts the inner, hidden expressions from a person.
This, together with his luck, makes him the photographer he is.
Starting 2009, he extended his imagination towards fine art. This was the beginning of his unique works, titled “99 Variations”. In this work, he is taking pictures while facing the mirror while at the same time dancing and making changes to himself in various ways. And in 2012 he produced a unique documentary work titled “Who is she?”, in which he was photographing the President’s back side. Through this work he extended his genre of photography.
In 2014, having found his own definition of art to be “a passionate effort that only he can do”, he is going into a new adventure, in which he is reaching beyond the identity of a photographer. He held a performance work, titled “99th Variation”, where he was in-between being a photographer, a performance artist, a media artist, all kinds of artists, in National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. He is now working while at the same time holding lectures on the “Oxymoronic power, Imagination”, in universities.
BIO
Born 1970, Seoul, Korea
Lives and works in Seoul, Korea
President of Creative Company ‘SangSang Variations & SangSang Art Museum’
EDUCATION
1995 B.A. in French Language and Literature, Hongik University, Seoul
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2015 "99 Variations", Central European House of Photography, Bratislava, Slovakia
2015 "99 Variations", The Center for Fine Art Photography, Colorado, USA
2014 "99 Variations", The VI International Festival of Photography, PHOTOVISA, Krasnodar, Russia
2014 "99 Variations", Central Slovak Gallery, Banska Bystrica, Slovakia
2013 "99 Variations", House of art, Bratislava, Slovakia
2012 "A COMPANY" Samsung Cheil Worldwide, Seoul, Korea
2011 Documentary, "Road for Hope", KBS (Korea Broadcasting System), Seoul, Korea
2009 "99 Variations", Sungkok Art Museum, Seoul, Korea
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2016 "SKAM Photography Collection", Sungkok Art Museum, Seoul, Korea
2014 "Dream Society Exhibition : X brid ", Seoul Museum, Seoul, Korea
2014 "FULL MOON : A Story of Sky and Earth", Daegu Photo Biennale 2014, Daegu, Korea
2014 "Insight2 Exhibition", Nemo hall of Blue Square, Sponsored by Samsung Electronics, Seoul, Korea
2013 "Samsung 'UHD ZOO' Exhibition", Beyond Museum, Seoul, Korea
2013 "99 Variations", Ballarat International Foto Biennale 2013, Ballarat, Australia
2012 "Masquerade", Coreana Museum, Seoul, Korea
2012 "Insight Exhibition", Yoo Art Space, Seoul, Korea
2009 "Myth in the Mirror", V-Gallery in Seoul Arts Center, Seoul, Korea
2009 "Olleh Art", Kumho Museum, Seoul, Korea
2007 "Myth in the Mirror", Artsonje Center, Seoul, Korea
2003 "A man who was stolen legs, and 30 eyes", Daelim Museum, Seoul, Korea
2003 "Chromatic Sensation", Gallery Hyundai, Seoul, Korea
SELCTED PERFORMANCES
2014 "99th Variation", Culture day, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea
2014 "Dream Society Exhibition: X brid", Seoul Museum, Seoul, Korea
EDITORIAL
VOGUE / BAZAAR / ELLE / W / Marie Claire / In Style / ESQUIER and More
COMMERCIALS
About 600 commercial works including
Coca-Cola / MOTOROLA / SAMSUNG / LG / DUNKIN’ DONUTS / FISSLER/ OLYMPUS and 80 film posters
DOCUMENTARIES
2011-2012
A Documentary of the first Korean female president, Park Geun Hye, "She is not only a woman, Park Geun Hye"
The children and child slavery with KBS, "On the Hope Road "
The Third generation of victims from defoliant in Vietnam, "Weapon that kills the future-Agent Orange"
LECTURES
2012-2014
“Special lecture of fashion photograph”, Art of Graduate School, Hongik University
2011
“Humanities and society”, Department of Liberal Arts, Hongik University
“Understanding of commercial photograph”, Department of Advertising & PR, Chung-Ang University
2007
“Understanding of Photo Art”, Kyung Hee University
AWARDS
2014 3rd place award in “International Photo Awards 2014, Editorial: Environmental PROFESSIONAL “Weapon that kills the future-Agent Orange”
2014 A finalist in “LensCulture Portrait Awards 2014" : "Miss President”
2012 Spikes Asia – Asia’s Creative Advertising Festival and Awards Grand Prix, “Samsung Electronics Insight Campaign”
2012 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Two Gold Lions in Promo & Activation, “Samsung Electronics Insight Campaign”
2011 Korea Fashion Photographer of the Year
OTHER ACTIVITIES
2015 New York Times Portfolio Review, Selected Participant
2015 Fotovisura Scholarship, Summer Editing Sessions, Workshop in Vermont
2012 Honorary Ambassador of Child Fund Korea
2010-2012 Member of Korail Design Deliberation Council
2009 Consultant of Presidential Council on Nation Branding
2007-2013 Creative Director of Fissler Korea Advertisement