Redscape

This work was initially inspired by heaps of red pepper powder at the corner of a traditional market. As a photographer-cum-housewife who has never properly made kimchi, I saw the pepper powder like high, red mountains absolutely impossible to go over. It is not clear when and where red pepper was first introduced to Korea, but roughly 500 years ago it was used in almost all Korean cuisine. Considering that all kinds of kimchi before red pepper were baikkimchi, or white kimchi, red pepper has been tremendously influential in Korean food.

Some say red pepper was handed down from Japan during the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592, when Japanese soldiers dusted red pepper on the faces of the Joseon people. This is a story that makes us feel somewhat sad, as today we enjoy the hot taste of red pepper as rather sweet. It is unclear if red pepper came from China, or if we handed down to Japan. What is apparent now is red pepper, which originated in Mexico has become an indispensable spice in Korean cuisine. My rather extravagant sense of awe towards red pepper powder was derived from my third solo exhibition, Rice in Blossom. I decided to depart from the kitchen and apply my vision to a traditional market. I wanted to present red pepper mountains as somewhat vast and rough landscapes. When traveling outside the country, Koreans come to desperately miss the hot, refreshing taste of hot pepper sauce and red pepper powder. I wanted to create the images to be as red and tough as this taste.