Interview with Jimin
Q. Welcome to u1 gallery. We are so grateful to be able to interview you. We can never thank you enough. Could you introduce yourself and your works? How did you begin creating art?
A. Hello. I'm a normal person with a job that has nothing to do with photography, currently living in a medium-sized city in South Korea. I first started taking pictures because I was lonely and bored. I moved from the city to the countryside when I was in high school, but I didn't fit in at school. I wasn't bullied, but no one talked to me, and my personality changed a lot during that time, and I went through a lot of changes. To cope with my lonely feelings at that time, I started taking pictures on my smartphone, and I think that's how I got into photography.
Q. Could you talk about the process of creating and the way of expressing your work?
A. I shoot about four rolls of film a month. Sometimes less, which tends to make me be as selective as possible. I try to avoid subjects or backgrounds that I've photographed before and shoot something new, and I take my camera out at dusk when the light is best. If I've taken a photo on a cloudy day and I'm not happy with the results, I'll go back on a sunny day and take a new photo because it's like being in a different place.
And I don't think you can call a film photograph your own unless you develop and scan it yourself.
Photography is a combination of the person who "takes" the photo and the person who "creates" the photo in the darkroom, so I think it's very important to find the right person to work with you on your photos.
Q. Could you describe one artwork or series from your oeuvre that you feel it was pivotal in your career?
A. I like photos that are easy, clean, crisp, and pretty at first glance. One of the photos I took that comes to mind is the one I titled "strawberry cake".
Q. Where do you get the inspiration for your work?
A. I think the emotion of loneliness still runs through my body, and I've been afraid of people since I was a kid, so it's hard for me to get to know people, it's hard for me to talk to people, so now I feel comfortable isolating myself as much as possible. But through Instagram, I can show people my photos and have a little conversation with them, so I'm not completely disconnected. When I look at Instagram, I think, "There's no one around me, but somewhere in this world, or among the people who pass by me, there must be people who connect with me." And I think I'm taking pictures that will appeal to a lot of people by consoling myself that, "I'm far away from them in my body, but I'm hanging out with them on Instagram.
And there are so many people on Instagram who are really good photographers, so I tend to look at their feeds for inspiration, and when they follow me, I feel like I'm being recognized for the photos that I've been taking, so I think that's encouraging.
Q. What do you hope that the audience takes away from your art?
A. No matter how different everyone's upbringing is, I think there are some similarities. I hope that my photographs can help people relate to their lives, activities, and hobbies.
Q. What is your dream project? Could you tell us your plans and aspirations as an artist?
A. I feel like I still lack a lot of my own photos, so I want to upgrade my photography by trying out more advanced options from film photography. There are many things I want to try, such as using a medium format camera someday or purchasing a film scanner to scan and adjust the images myself. And if I have the opportunity, I want to get a small sunny studio to take portraits, and also try my hand at creating music album covers.