Record of the International Symposium for the 20th Anniversary of the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum:
Why Are Photography Museums Necessary?

Why Are Photography Museums Necessary?
Kim Sunhee
Former Director at Daegu Art Museum, South Korea

Why Are Photography Museums
Necessary?

Kim Sunhee
Photography shows its presence as an important medium in contemporary art
exhibitions as well as photography art museums these days. I, as a curator, like
photographic works and invite photographers to my exhibitions. Although
I must say that even I find myself considering paintings, installations, andmedia arts before photography, though this tendency also varies dependingon the theme of the exhibition.
In addition to that, I, like many other curators of art museums, have lessexpertise in photography than curators in photography art museums. I
think this is because we are afforded fewer resources and opportunities forresearch and less access to photographic artworks. Accordingly, photography
exhibitions by art museums are somewhat different from exhibitions byphotography art museums in terms of view and context. One of the mostimportant reasons that photography museums are so needed is that withoutthem, photography artists can be seriously neglected. I would like tofurther explain this issue by showcasing the current status of South Korean
photography.
According to 2015 statistics from the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sportsand Tourism, there are 982 registered museums in the country: 780
archaeological museums and 202 art museums. Among them are threephotography art museums: the Museum of Photography, Seoul, GoEun
Museum of Photography in Busan, and Donggang Museum of Photography
in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province. The Museum of Photography, Seoul andGoEun Museum of Photography are private museums. Donggang Museumof Photography is the only public photography museum. However, it islocated in the countryside, about three hours’ travel from Seoul. Due to this,the museum is not so popular with visitors.
So the Museum of Photography, Seoul and GoEun Museum of Photography
are the most active and important photography art museums in South Korea.
The Ilwoo Space in Seoul (run by the Ilwoo Foundation, which is affiliatedwith the Hanjin Group) also focuses on photography, although it is not aregistered museum. Even though around a dozen new museums opened in98

2016, none of them focus on photography. On a positive note, the Seoul
Museum of Art is preparing to open a Museum of Photography in five years.
The three photography museums mentioned above and Ilwoo Space haveregular photography exhibitions, are actively collecting, and host awards
for talented photographers. They have played a very important role in thediscovery and support of young talented photographers. In addition to that,they have been active in popularizing publications, education, and academic
seminars relating to photography. However, it is rare for a major Korean
museum to hold a photography exhibition. Even though photography is far
more popular than it used to be, the majority of exhibitions are confined toveteran artists' donated works and annual group exhibitions.
Along with the aforementioned spaces, there’s also the Daegu Photo Biennale,
which aims to showcase more experimental and genre-defying works. Their
portfolio-reviewing program Encounter selects and exhibits qualifying newphotographers.
Additionally, photography doesn’t have the strongest presence in the Korean
art market. Only a few galleries focus exclusively on photography: TrunkGallery, Gallery Lux, Xii Gallery, Gallery Lumiere, and Kim Young Seob
Photo Gallery. Their complaints point to the difficulties in financiallyoperating museums. Due to the economic downturn, the number of private
buyers has vastly shrunk, and artists' incomes mostly derive from the small
number of purchases made by museums.
Overall, programs that focus solely on the medium of photography arerare. Despite the fact that photographic artists are increasing in number,the chances to exhibit their work grow slimmer. Because of the difficultyof making sales, many talented young photo artists resort to commercial
photography as a part- or full-time job.In short, in order to support
photography artists and the understanding and appreciation of photography
as a medium, photography museums are essential.
For the remainder, I’d like to present some photos and related materials fromthe major museums mentioned above, as I believe that these may help provide
context and understanding for the current state of photography in Korea.
Photography collections and exhibitions in the last two years
in major museums:- National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (www.mmca.go.kr)
Total collection: 7,981 works (3,683 donated) / 905 photographic (304 donated)
Exhibitions: about 40 annual exhibitions; three of the 80 exhibitions inthe last two years were photography exhibitions
1. City We Have Known — Photographs by Kang Hong Goo and Area Park,99

2015
2. Yook Myong-Shim Retrospective, 2015-2016
3. Public to Private: Photography in Korean Art since 1989, 2016
- Seoul Museum of Art (http://sema.seoul.go.kr)
Total collection: 4,348 works / 600 photographs (about 250 donated)
Exhibitions: 40 annual exhibitions at five locations
1. Seoul Photo Festival, 2016
2. Photographs by Kang Bong-kyu: Human Theater, 2016
— exhibition of donated artworks
3. Lee Juyong Photographic Studio, 2016
4. The Family of the Invisibles, 2016
— held in commemoration of 130 years of Korean-French diplomatic ties
5. Seoul Photo Festival, 2015
6. Faces, Joo Myung Duck, 2015
- Busan Museum of Art (art.busan.go.kr)
Total collection: 2,407 works / 121 photographic (65 donated)
1. Unacquainted Familiarity: The Residue of Memory, 2016
exhibition of donated artworks by Kim Bok Man
2. The Moment! The memory of a moment, 2015
— exhibition of donated artworks by Choi Min Shik
- Daegu Art Museum (www.daeguartmuseum.org)
Total collection: 1,007 works / 42 photographic (five donated)
1. Asian Contemporary Photography: WANG Qingsong, JUNG Yeondoo,
2014
2. Yang Fudong, The Light That I Feel, 2016
- The Museum of Photography, Seoul (www.photomuseum.or.kr)
The Museum of Photography, Seoul, commonly known as theHanmi Photography Art Museum in Korea, was founded by the Gahyeon Foundation of Culture. (The foundation is run by Hanmi
Pharmaceutical, which is one of the leading companies in thepharmaceutical industry.) The museum opened in 2003, becoming thecountry's first museum dedicated to photographic art. It hosted threephotography awards in its first three years. It has a collection of about
10,000 works, which is of crucial value to researchers of the history ofinternational and Korean photography. The museum has also developed
various education and publication programs.
- GoEun Museum of Photography (www.goeunmuseum.org)
The GoEun Museum of Photography opened in 2007 in Busan; it
was established by the GoEun Foundation. The museum is focused onbuilding a photography archive, planning high-quality exhibitions, anddiscovering and supporting young talented photography artists. It is also100

active in publication and education, and organizes academic seminars.
- Donggang Museum of Photography (www.dgphotomuseum.com)
The museum opened in 2005, becoming the country's first public photomuseum. It holds the Donggang International Photo Festival every
summer, as well as regular awards ceremonies.
- Ilwoo Space (www.ilwoo.org)
The space opened in 2010 and hosts the Ilwoo Photography Awards.
- Daegu Photo Biennale (www.daeguphoto.com)
The biennale started in 2006. The 6th edition was held in 2016;
Japanese art director Naoya Yoshikawa directed the main exhibition,
Asian Express, around the theme, “We come from somewhere, but whereare we going?” This exhibition aimed to showcase various experimental
interpretations of the changing landscape and environment of Asia inthe late-twentieth century.
(English Editing: Alex Dudok de Wit [Art Translators Collective])101