Koo Bonchang is one of the first generation artists who studied abroad and is the artist who opened up new chapter by playing important role in the Korean contemporary photograph field. In the mid 80s, he has developed his art that expressed extremely private and introvert consciousness in reserved and delicate manner. Since then he continued experiments that led school of photographers who mainly deal with issue of dramatized photograph. This brought a turning point to traditional Korean photograph that had emphasized documentation of the reality and his photograph expanded realm of expression in photograph. His photographs, in a sense, seem to be more real than fiction for his sensibility and intuition that come from deep inside. At the same time, he continued exploring the lives of our time and its beauty. “White Porcelain,” and “Mask” series, for example, are considered as his unique interpretation of beauty that is Korean. As an artist, an educator as well as curator, the development of his art coincides with topography of Korean history of photograph since the 80s.
