French photo exhibition at Sungkok Art Museum blurs the line between real and artificial

“A Parallel History_Study after Man Ray, Tears, 1930-2022” (2022) by Brodbeck & de Barbuat, printed with inkjet [SUNGKOK ART MUSEUM]

 
The camera captures reality, but not in French photography. The latest exhibition of contemporary French photographers kicking off at central Seoul’s Sungkok Art Museum showcases the art of photography that blurs the line between real and artificial.
 
Ever since the French pioneered the practice in the mid-19th century, photography has at times been disregarded as an art form until it finally began gaining recognition in the late 1970s. 
 
The realm of photography has continued to expand, and now artists are experimenting with how they can transcend the real world, curator Emmanuelle de l’Ecotais said during a press conference at the museum in central Seoul on Wednesday. She has worked as a photography curator at the Pompidou Centre and the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris. She is currently the director of the annual Paris-based photography event Photo Days.
 

″The Bird Market #4″ (2021) by Raphaelle Peria, printed with grattage, or scratching off paint, on photograph [SUNGKOK ART MUSEUM]

 
Another task for photographers is how they will strike a balance between traditional photographic techniques and the latest technology, such as artificial intelligence.
 
The French visual art duo Brodbeck & de Barbuat has done exactly that by fully embracing AI in its works. 
 
For “A Parallel History_Study after Man Ray, Tears, 1930-2022” (2022), a black-and-white, close-up image of a woman shedding numerous tears, the duo did not actually take the picture. Rather, the photograph was made by putting descriptive prompts through an AI image generator called Midjourney. The approach questions the role of photography as a medium in present day.
 
The some 80 photographs from 22 contemporary artists fall under the themes of nature, still life, humans and architecture. The pieces also showcase a wide range of photography printing methods that have reproduced unique, versatile images.
 
Pieces like the aforementioned “Tears” were printed by inkjet, a technology that boasts higher quality color photographs and is often used in home printers. A different technique, called photogravure, involves etching an image into a copper plate through light or chemicals and then printing it on paper by applying ink. It has a deep history that stems back to the 19th century.
 

″A Garden for Eugene D._Honeysuckle″ by Flore, printed with photogravure [SUNGKOK ART MUSEUM]

 
Some pieces still remain deeply rooted in the real world. Artist Flore used flowers from her own garden to create the photogravure prints for her “Garden for Eugene D” series.
 
“It’s an exploration of how these traditional photographic methods go hand in hand with art,” de l’Ecotais said.
 
“French Photography Today: A New Vision of Reality” continues until Aug. 18. The Sungkok Art Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day except on Mondays. Tickets are 10,000 won ($7) for adults.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]