OVERVIEW

THIS PRESENTED PERSONAL SERIES I TOOK AS A PHOTOGRAPHER IN THE PERIOD OF NOVEMBER 2008 TO MARCH 2009 AND EXHIBITED IN TOPOHAUS ART GALLERY SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, IN APRIL 2009.
HUKSEOKDONG, BANGBAEDONG AND SANGWANGSIMNIDONG: THREE CITY DISTRICTS WITHIN SEOUL. HAVING A POPULATION HISTORY OF LESS THAN 40 YEARS, IT IS NOW PACKED WITH BLOCKS OF FAMILY HOUSING AND THESE DISTRICTS ARE FACING A LARGE-SCALE APARTMENT CONSTRUCTION ENTERPRISE. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED CASE IN KOREA, A COUNTRY THAT REGARDS THE APARTMENT COMPLEX AS THE PREMIUM LIVING FORM. SINCE THE 70S, THE APARTMENT HAS AFFECTED THE KOREAN COMPREHENSION OF SPACE STRONGLY. DESPITE THE INHABITANTS’ EFFORTS TO FIGHT THEIR FORCED EXTRUSION THROUGH LEGAL MEANS, THEY ARE POWERLESS AGAINST THE BUILDING COMPANIES. EVEN THE MOST ADAMANT ONES WHO REMAIN UNTIL CONSTRUCTION STARTS EVENTUALLY SUCCUMB TO THE HIGHLY INFLUENTIAL COMPANIES; ALMOST THE ENTIRE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IN KOREA IS PART OF THE CHAEBOL STRONGHOLD.
THE PRESENTED WORK WITH THE GERMAN TITLE ZUGZWANG, MEANING TO BE FORCED TO MOVE, IS BASED ON A SPATIAL CONCEPT, WHICH INDIRECTLY PORTRAYS THE INHABITANTS OF SPACES, ONCE FREQUENTED, AND BY THE TIME OF THE PROJECT PARTLY DEMOLISHED.