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Instead of showing his collection, fashion designer Lie Sang-bong took off his clothes in front of photographer Lee Yeop, whom he has worked with for more than a decade.

At an exhibition at Keumsan Gallery in central Seoul, some 20 of Lie’s nude photographs are on display from today. As a commercial photographer, Lee had taken photos of Lie’s collection at numerous occasions including the Pret-a-Porter from 2002 to 2004 and the Moscow Collection in Russia in 2010.

Lie is a renowned designer for his use of "hangeul," or the Korean alphabet, on his garments.He is also a designer known for not disclosing his age. But it is unusual for a “middle-aged” male designer to become a nude model, even though Lee has taken Lienude pictures previously. But Lie said he stripped himself bare because he wants to be free like the wind.

“People say I am a designer with my colors, but I don’t want to have my color. I dreamt of being free when I first set foot in the fashion industry and I want to design freedom. That’s why I took off my clothes,” Lie said in a press release.

The exhibition consists of three parts: “Lie Sang-bong’s Line,” “Lie Sang-bong’s Horror” and “Lie Sang-bong’s Fantasy.” Instead of distorting the subject, Lee finds narrative from the photos and rediscovers the fashion designer through nude photography.

The exhibit runs through Feb. 16. For more information, visit www.keumsan.org or call (02) 3789-6317.



Kim Jung-man with smartphone

Many people use the camera on their smart phones to capture daily lives and photographer Kim Jung-man is no exception. He even opened an exhibit featuring photos solely taken on Pantech’s Vega R3 at Platoon Kunsthalle in southern Seoul.

Titled “Eyes of Vega,” the exhibition is a result of Kim collaborating with the Korean mobile phone maker.

“At first, I worried whether the photographic result will be of good quality, this camera on tiny smartphone brings me another world,” Kim said at the opening of the exhibition, Monday.

Kim carried two Vega R3 smartphones for more than two months and took photos with the 13 mega-pixel camera. He traveled to Jusanji in Cheongsong, North Gyeongsang Province, Yunnan Province, southwest China and Tokyo, Japan and photos of these locations are on display.

The largest one on exhibit is printed on a 1.2 meter high and 1.8 meter wide paper, which proves that the quality of a smartphone’s camera is not outdone by big, heavy digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras.

Kim was also a popular commercial photographer until early the 2000s, but he turned to fine art and known for works for “New Image of Korea” series. He is also open for collaboration and recreated surrealist Rene Magritte’s works through photography with fashion brand Louis Quatorze last year.

The exhibition runs through Feb. 3. Admission is free and the profits from sales will be donated to the visually impaired through the Korea University Hospital. The photos can also be seen on Vega’s website. For more information, visit www.ivega.co.kr or call (02) 3447-1191.


By Kwon Mee-yoo


http://koreatimes.co.kr