Continued from vol.1/2
--What kind of works do you plan to create in the future?
I'm exhibiting my new work, "There is no there there," in a group exhibition starting in Switzerland. The theme of the exhibition is "youth."
In Korea, there's a website called "ULZZANG" (which means "best face" in Korean) that's been around since I was a teenager. It's a social networking site where girls post photos and viewers comment on them. The prettier you are, the more famous you become. While researching the theme, I remembered the site, and when I looked into it, I found that it was still active.
Digital cameras are now commonplace, and anyone can use Photoshop. Naturally, the majority of photos posted are digitally altered. What's interesting is that these girls have altered their faces so much that it's unrecognizable.
My new work is a photo series of girls with distorted faces. I contacted the girls on the site, took their photos in a studio, and sent them to them. The children who receive the photos can then edit them however they like in Photoshop and post them on a website. The edited photos become my works.

This work embodies the issue of identity, which I raise in all my work. What are society's standards of beauty? Why does society demand that girls be beautiful? Why do we have to edit our own faces? These are the questions I intend to ask. Identity cannot be seen from a face that does not exist. This is also consistent with my other series.

--Korea seems to be booming economically.

Seoul is changing at a rapid pace right now. The streets where I used to live have changed so much that they are almost unrecognizable. Tokyo is also changing, but it is still recognizable. Conversely, New York seems to have a more leisurely flow, perhaps because I live there now.

I feel like Seoul is undergoing a period of transformation in a deeper sense. It feels like it is undergoing a revolutionary change. People's thinking and lifestyles are gradually becoming more Westernized. Everyone wants to be rich, and there is a strong desire for material luxury. I think so-called capitalist values are reaching their peak.

As the country has become economically prosperous, people's attention is now turning to culture, art, and politics. The same can be said for relations with North Korea. South Korea is currently overflowing with energy, eager to pursue new values in all areas. Looking at this movement from a broader perspective, one could also see it as an attempt to pursue a national identity. Until now, South Korea has focused solely on pursuing goals and copying others, but now it seems to be entering a revolutionary period in which the country is determining its direction and building its own unique values.

--So you're concerned about "identity."

I think the pursuit of identity is a very natural desire. I have many faces. As a photographer, an artist, a daughter, and a wife. I feel like I'm on an epic journey searching for my own identity. Perhaps the ultimate goal of life is to "find yourself."


【Event Information】
Ina Jang Solo Exhibition
Venue: GP Triple G Gallery
Address: Trot 2F, 2-9-13 Shinonome, Koto-ku, Tokyo
Dates: Until August 10th
Time: 11:00 to 19:00 (advance appointment required)
Closed: Sundays, Mondays, and public holidays