Limb Eung Sik

The Latin word ars and provides the etymological root of the English word art.

Installation view 1

It is also the name that photographer Limb eung sik gave to his studio in Busan in 1946, then the capital for refugees during the Korean War. In the narrow sense of the word, art is the aesthetic expression born to the ceaseless training of human technique, and in its wider sense, all creative human endeavors. This word indeed captures the gist of Limb eung sik’s life. His ars and his passion for photographica become more pronounced as we follow the history of his artistic career and life.

Installation view 2

Limb eung sik experienced both the Japanese occupation and liberation, and saw the Korean War through both his eyes and his camera lens as a war correspondent. Such an experience led him to advocate for a style called ‘everydaylife realism’ that captures the essence of reality as it appears to us. ‘Everydaylife realism’ embraces his will to not only record ‘reality’ but also the ‘everyday life’ of the people amidst the historical and social turmoil. Bare Tree, a work introduced in Photography Annual in 1955, captures the gist of his philosophy of photography that “its life comes from capturing the truth in the least expected moments. That is the power of photography. Photography must breathe with the epoch.” The image of a seemingly impoverished boy standing alone between the bare trees exposes the destroyed, desolate post-war society. The choice of the title, Bare Tree, over ‘Burnt Tree’, however, shows the artist’s hopeful perspective and longing for a better future in which the boy will grow up to be a man and the trees will sprout new leaves again.

Installation view 3

A Photographic Artist, Not a Photographer

Limb eung sik lived in a time when photography was predominantly a profession, not art. Limb’s passion for photography as art fueled him to organize the ‘The Photo Artists Society of Korea’ in 1952 and join the Federation of Artistic & Cultural Organization of Korea, overcoming prejudices and misunderstandings against photographic art. After 12 years of hard work and perseverance, Limb would finally see ‘photography’ recognized at the National Art Exhibition. He also exchanged correspondence with Edward Steichen, a legendary photographer of the United States, to organize and host The Family of Man at the Gyeongbokgung Palace Art Museum in 1957, which saw 300,000 visitors over the course of a month. This is a historic moment that elevated photography to the realm of art. His endeavor extended to academia where he helped universities open Photography majors, taught, and concurrently went on photoshoots every day as if he was “in a marathon”. Works like Myeongdong Landscape, which shows the 50 years of history of Myeongdong from the ruins of war to the capital of trend and fashion, Allure, a record of 150 major figures in his contemporary culture and art scene, and High Architecture of Korea that wished to introduce Korean architecture such as the Gyeongbokgung Palace, Jongmyo Shrine, and the Secret Garden (Piwon), will be forever remembered as the important milestone of Korean photography. 

임응식, 구직(求職)(Job Hunting), gelatin silver print, 1953, 서울명동. ©임응식아카이브

70 Years of History in 5 Minutes

The aim of this exhibition is to convey the essence and the gist of Limb’s life and career as a photographic artist, who began his journey as a photographer in 1931 and remained a photographic artist until he passed away in 2001. The 70 years of his life were full of ceaseless effort to pronounce the significance and artistry of photography.

임응식, 신문읽는남자(A man reading newspaper), gelatin siver print, 1954, 부산 광복동. ©임응식아카이브

Even if we collect all 80,000 photographs that Limb took over the course of 70 years, the time he spent to open the shutter and capture the moment is less than 5 minutes. However, this seemingly short period of time is the concentration of his righteous and warm perspective of the world in which he struggled to truthfully capture our existence and the life that lies beyond. Even when he took a photograph of a corner of a street, he wished to convey the story of the street; his photography of architecture was focused more on the narrative of tradition and history. A single photograph, to him, meant a coexistence of the beauty of raw, brute reality and the vibrant vitality underneath. Even several decades later, his photography moves us in the most profound sense.

임응식, 아침(Morning), gelatin siver print, 1946, 부산서면. ©임응식아카이브

We cordially invite you to join us to feel the eternal trace of Limb eung sik, a marathoner photographer who ran alongside the rapidly changing modern history of Korea.

GALLERY YEH
100, Changdeokgung-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, KR
+82 2 542 3624

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