Han Sungpil - intervention

In his works of art the Korean photographer Han Sungpil confronts the themes of environment, energy production, and humankind’s impact on nature. The three series in this book of photographs are distinguished by their surprising perspective, which goes beyond the visual vocabulary normally found in environmental documentations. Whether it’s a painterly French landscape featuring nuclear power plants, presented as a scene of idyllic perfection, or a search for the relics of whale hunting and coal mining in the Arctic and Antarctic, Sungpil’s photographs tell, artfully and critically, of nature’s sublimity and humankind’s overexploitation of it. Photographs of abandoned trawlers, whaling stations, and industrial ruins set in front of monumental, ice-covered landscapes shift the focus to the exploitation of ecological resources, leaving the viewer speechless. Sungpil was awarded the Ilwoo Foundation’s prize for his moving works of art. Exhibition: 27.4.-14.6.2017, Ilwoo Space, Seoul