Cafe Exhibitions

This Friday the first of our new series of Cafe Exhibitions will open at the Circus Hostel, where we will be presenting the photography of the German-based Korean photographer Ilda Kim. The photographs come from a larger collection entitled “Unterwegs” (On the Road). Here is what Ilda says about his work:

Beginning

Upon looking at my Unterwegs photos, people often ask me where I took them.

It is essentially a spatial question. This extremely plain question prompted me to recognize the differences between me and others in perspectives for space and life. In other words, this provides my Unterwegs project with the necessary impetus.

Discovering Similarities Amongst Diversity

Travelling, or a momentary detachment from a society excites us with a sense of liberation, whose core element is the freedom from the reality. When the travelling becomes an incessant routine, however, it becomes another reality in itself. My life has reached a stage like this, and the constant travelling became my life to a large extent. Thus, while travelling, I find a sense of settlement from travelling instead of differences from diversity.

Recognition of memory fragments and afterimages while in motion

My internal interpretation, or mental image, of space is closely related to the modern methods of transportation. The modern transportation methods afford speed which is beyond what humans are naturally capable of, and this speed turns my memories into passing, blurry and unfocused shards of images. This is my memory about Unterwegs.

Transparent Barrier

In those shards of memories are vague reflections of other spaces, or reflections of internal spaces on the windows which form a barrier between the space I belong to, and the space outside. I, separated from the outside by the windows, become a spectator and an outsider. Images of Unterwegs may be an expression of an outsider who cannot assimilate with the space he can behold.

Ending

When viewed collectively, the images of Unterwegs loses the meaning as “Spatial Signs.”

Another meaning of settlement which is unique to a life of a nomad, and the fragments and afterimages of memories, or Unterwegs, are a reflection of self through the outside and a trip of identity.

The photographs will be hanging in the Circus Cafe from the 5th February 2011 until the 1st March 2011. There will be a small vernissage this Friday from 7pm, and the cafe is open from 8.30am until 8pm every single day of the week if you would like to come by and take a look…

www.kimilda.com