"Mountain Tree, Study 1, Danyang, Chungcheongbukdo, South Korea"

gelatin silver print

signed, dated, titled on verso

I can say, with both humility and pride, that I believe South Korea and I have become good friends. Between 2005 and 2018 I explored and photographed at least a dozen times, journeying North, South, East and West. South Korea and its people have been extremely hospitable to me, and I am immensely appreciative. I always enjoy locations that have mystery and atmosphere, perhaps a patina of age, a suggestion rather than a description, a question or two. In that regard, South Korea has been a treasure for me as it has been inhabited for so long. Memories and traces are everywhere, in the air and embedded in the earth. South Korea is still, technically a country at war with North Korea which dramatically and visually affects its appearance and atmosphere. I had, for example, never before seen beaches protected by barbed wire. I found that lifeguard watchtowers became more ominous the closer I got to the DMZ. South Korea has provided me with fascinating material to photograph. I cannot imagine what I would find in North Korea, but I hope that one day I will get the chance to see for myself.
(Michael Kenna, from: Michael Kenna, Korea, Gallery K.O.N.G., South Korea 2019)