A solo exhibition by young Korean photographer Ina Jang is running until August 10th at the G/P + g3/ gallery, located within the art space TOLOT in Shinonome, Tokyo. She studied photography in Tokyo and New York and has exhibited her work in the contemporary art field. In 2011, she won an award at the Hyères International Fashion and Photography Festival in France. She is currently based in New York. Her representative works, including "Onigiri" and "A Girl," are on display. Her style is girly and fashionable. However, the subjects' faces are hidden, creating a surreal atmosphere. We spoke to Ina, who visited Japan for the exhibition, about her work. "As the boundaries between fashion and art become increasingly blurred, some of your photographs seem to have elements of fashion. How do you view your own work?" I believe my photography lies in the realm of art. I take photos for my own happiness. But categorizing my work is up to the recipient. However, what's required for fashion and art is different. When I work for a fashion magazine, I have to show the products—clothes, bags, shoes, etc. That seems too utilitarian, and I can't really relate to fashion. When I was a student, I created a bag story, where only the handle of the bag inside the shopping bag was visible from the top. Anyone with a fashion background should be able to identify the brand just by looking at the faint handle. It lets you imagine what's inside and creates a picture of your ideal bag. This allows the viewer to truly connect with the photograph. However, this work wasn't well-received because the bag itself isn't visible. Perhaps this is the "reality of fashion." However, it seems like there's something about me that resonates with the fashion world. My work expresses simple and clear images. Fashion photography, likewise, requires elegant, simple, and focused shots. This may be our common ground. I don't think I'd be a good photographer for brands. However, if I can do something avant-garde in a new medium like the web, where the risks are relatively low, I would definitely like to get involved in fashion photography.

--You previously shot an accessory story for the French fashion magazine Jalouse. Despite being fashion photography, it seems to have a connection to your current style.

In this story, I wanted to express the accessories themselves as the girls' identity, so I had shoes and bags protruding from the girls' faces. Accessories are now part of a girl's identity, aren't they? So I came up with the idea of replacing the girls' identity with these accessories. Bags and shoes are mainstream items not only for buyers but also for brands. Ultimately, they represent the identity of both buyers and sellers. That's the irony I wanted to convey in this photo.

These works, which have strong fashion elements, aren't necessarily representative of my photography style, but they use the "cutout" technique I often use in my work, and they also have an element of the "ambiguous identity" that I express throughout all of my work.

--Why do you cut out the subjects' faces?

I believe that by making faces unrecognizable, viewers can identify with the people in the photographs. Hiding the face gives the subject a sense of universality. That's why I cut out people's faces. I've only recently started using the cutout technique, but even before that, I've been obscuring my subjects' identities by covering their faces with hair or having them turn away.

I also create my works for myself. Artists, including myself, are all self-centered. I want my photographs to be my own, not theirs. I hope to grow from this technique further, but for now, I want the photographs to belong to me.

--How do you begin creating a work?

At first, I would take random photographs. But I realized my limitations, so I started sketching the images in my head. I would draw them in my notebook and then recreate them in photographs. I often shoot in a studio, which for me is like a blank canvas on which to paint. This is how I created the works in this exhibition. They are like drawings, with a lot of blank space. Perhaps I take photographs because I can't draw well. I like photography because it is a medium that captures a "moment" as it is.

Continued in vol.2/2.