KYUNGWOO CHUN - THOUSANDS
HERZOGENRATH, WOLF
Korean photographer-artist Kyungwoo Chun (*1969) has become known for his portraits, poetically blurred by their extremely long exposure times, which depict the people in them in a very unconventional way.
More than four hundred years ago, a Chinese general by the name of Chun set off to Korea on a field campaign and remained there, becoming the first person with that name in Korea. Kyungwoo Chun, whose surname means thousand, travelled to China to visit the generals birthplace, where countless Chuns reside today. For Thousands, the artist photographed one thousand people with the same surname as his: for him, each one represents thousands more who are now scattered around the globe. The portraits intensify the moment of encounter between the Korean artist, who lives in Germany, the Chinese, and countless Chuns all over the worldboth a homecoming and a new beginning.