Out of In

AANDO FINE ART is proud to present KDK’s solo show Out of In as part of the 7th European Month of Photography Berlin.

At first glance, minimalistic and straightforward the Korean fine art photographer’s works invite the viewer to question the status of the places and objects that surround them. The central focus of the artist’s practice dedicates itself to architectural spaces with a spotlight on architectural and crisp geometric details. The artist makes a point to capture his subjects, as they are not typically seen. His aim is not to document, but to throw light onto his subjects giving an auratic feel to the works. Seemingly random, yet extremely methodical, his series w. and lu. both underline the banality of universal contemporary culture as he directs the viewers eyes to observe the disregarded and to explore a new mindset.

W. stands for wall and white and here demonstrates the space-time relationship as KDK sees it. In the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (NL), the camera openly focuses on its subjects with special attention paid to usually disregarded details. The minimalistic photographs come from the museum’s interior but resist any inference as to their origins. Only the title gives hints on that. KDK captures points of contact between lines and surfaces in an original way that plays with shadows, transgressing the boundaries of reality and generating illusionary spaces. The museum-like atmospheres he creates ultimately reveal their relationship to art.

The works in lu. (line up) are 3D compositions of cargo containers. Although KDK ignores the structural properties of the original situation at the cargo port, he utilizes its natural dynamics for his work shown. This active reconstruction of the space, brought about through a new combination of individual elements, recalls the geometry of a tetromino. As an installation in a white cube, they form a kaleidoscopic landscape and an inspiring contrast to the w. series.

KDK (*1973 Gwangju, KR) left South Korea for his first visit in Germany in 2001. He there studied under Thomas Ruff and Christopher Williams at Kunstakademie Duesseldorf, where he turned out as Meisterschüler of the class of Ruff. The artist was inspired by the difference in landscape in both countries ever since and so straight lines became a reoccurring pattern in his work. He has mainly exhibited his works in Germany, China and Korea. KDK’s work is part of numerous considerable collections such as the UBS Art Collection, Switzerland, Mario Botta Collection, France, Samsung Leeum Museum, Korea and national Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea among others.