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Leebaeck Choi

Leebaeck Choi

Sora becomes Sora

"Sora" means sea snail (KR) and sky (JP). This dark fairytale bridges the homonym. From existential doubt, the snail mistakes a human lighthouse for its dream. Shot out of focus to evoke a painterly aesthetic, it captures a tragic irony: entering the abyss to finally become the sky.

Conceptual

About Artist

Leebaeck Choi

I have worked mainly in black-and-white photography for more than thirty years. For me, photography has never been only a way to record the world, but a way to question what I see, what remains, and what disappears. Although black and white remains my primary language, I have also become increasingly interested in color over the past several years. To me, black and white reveals boundaries, silence, and structure, while color allows things to dissolve, spread, and become uncertain. For several years, I had been thinking about a project on being and existence. While preparing for the 1839 Awards, I was finally able to bring that long process to a certain point of completion. Through that process, my interest gradually moved toward abstraction. I am now exploring how photography can move away from direct representation while still remaining connected to reality. For me, this challenge of abstraction feels like another difficulty, and another pleasure, within photography.

Leebaeck Choi

Photographic Areas of Focus

Abstract, Minimalism, Minimalism, Nature, People, Portrait, Travel

Location

South Korea

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