![film semi korea 2018 film semi korea 2018](https://www.mfa-film.de/fileadmin/user_upload/filme/Memories_of_Murder/MemoriesOfMurder1.jpg)
“Pixel is an uncivilized planet that is woven by the fission and fusion of bits. True to his ever-experimental nature, Gyu-tae Hwang unveiled his 36 of his latest works at the popular 2021 Pixel’s World NFT Art Exhibition PIXEL PIXIE. “I’m not making anything new I’m just choosing what’s already in the pixel! In that sense, it’s like is ready-made.” the artist declares. In other words, he deconstructs the traditional concept of a photographic image into its most fundamental elements.
![film semi korea 2018 film semi korea 2018](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fa/61/db/fa61dbe4640e04a93fb74c895497e616.jpg)
Hwang zooms into a particular digital image that exists on a monitor and visualizes the results that appear through visual play. Instead, “selection” and “enlargement” become the main focus.
![film semi korea 2018 film semi korea 2018](https://img.youtube.com/vi/fgaNNwquRqM/maxresdefault.jpg)
Hwang claims, “Photography is no longer about mere shooting.” In his Pixel series, the initial “photography” process of taking the picture is rendered obsolete.
#FILM SEMI KOREA 2018 SERIES#
Through the Pixel series over the past 20 years, the artist has established the modern meaning of photography as a medium. During this process, he focused on the concept of the “pixel”, the smallest unit that composes a digital image. Since the advent of digital cameras in the 1980s, Hwang pioneered various techniques, such as collage and composition of digital images.
![film semi korea 2018 film semi korea 2018](https://videosnap.like.video/eu_live/5uN/2RcjWL_4.jpg)
From then on, Hwang considered photography as the subject of experimentation and entertainment to reveal his imagination. The artist admits this experimentation was possible because he worked at a photo lab. In a time when straight photography was predominant in both Korea and the United States, Hwang experimented with film burning, montage, double exposure, and composition via analog processes. Influenced by his time working in LA, Hwang began expressing his own style of color photography in the 1970s. The photos he took while working at the laboratory were initially an extension of his early work in Korea – at that time, the American photography industry was dominated by color, whereas the Korean photography industry was predominantly black-and-white. There he continued to develop his skills and style as an artist. In 1965, he came to the United States as a correspondent for the Kyunghyang Newspaper and began working for a photograph developer’s lab in Los Angeles. He was very active in the photography scene, participating in exhibitions in 1961 as a founding member of the “Modern Photography Research Society”, which he organized with the purpose of nurturing new photographers. Initially taking press photos, Hwang began his life-long career as a photographer. After graduating from the Department of Political Science at Dongguk University, he joined the Kyunghyang Newspaper as a photojournalist. Hwang was born in Yesan, Chungcheongnam-do in 1938. He is a living history of Korean Photography. It became clear that his artistic genius stems from his experimental spirit, playful thinking, and unwavering willingness to confront new challenges. Throughout our interview, I could see his humble and humane personality shine through his words, which is equally as brilliant as his distinct style. Hwang is one of Korea’s leading post-modernist photographers. Nevertheless, it is no easy feat introducing all he has achieved during his illustrious 60-year career, even with a one-to-one interview. While preparing this article, I was convinced that this piece would go beyond merely introducing one Korean artist, and that it would become an important document in the history of photographers around the world. I am thrilled to finally introduce Hwang Gyutae to the world via Lenscratch. Photographer HWANG Gyutae is truly a paradigm of character.