A humpback whale photo exhibition by Jang Nam-won, Korea's only whale photographer
A record of the maternal love and humanity of the humpback whale, the largest mammal
Jang Nam-won, Korea's foremost underwater photographer, will hold an invitational exhibition at the Lotte Gallery Incheon Terminal branch through August 15, presenting some 30 underwater photographs and video works featuring the 'humpback whale,' a subject rarely seen by the general public.
On August 13, 1624, Yi Deok-hyeong and his party, dispatched as envoys to Ming China, encountered an enormous whale while heading toward Jangsan Island. Having seen the massive whale, the party described it as 'towering and steep like a mountain.' The overwhelming presence of the whale, which must have appeared like a moving mountain or island, is conveyed intact.
Could anyone keep their mouth from falling open upon seeing a humpback whale, reaching up to 16m in length, right before their eyes? For more than 40 years, Jang Nam-won has continued his work, treating the humpback whale not simply as a giant creature but as a precious and familiar subject. The work takes place mainly in Tonga in the South Pacific, where humpback whales gather to give birth. Because of the Tongan government's whale-protection policy, which prohibits diving with noisy air tanks, the photographer plunges into the sea carrying only a waterproof camera. During the mere one or two minutes he can hold his breath without diving equipment, he descends below 10m of water to shoot. Careful consideration for the living, giant subject—a whale on guard against a stranger while cradling its calf—is also essential. It is therefore easy to imagine how difficult it was to obtain the scenes in Jang Nam-won's work of a mother whale swimming while embracing her calf, or images featuring a diver alongside.
Deep knowledge of and affection for whales lend a special power to Jang Nam-won's work. Using a 16mm wide-angle lens to record the vast marine world and the majesty of the humpback whale is one of the features that clearly distinguishes his work from that of foreign photographers. In addition, most of the works are in black and white; though they lack the splendor of varied colors, the way the black-and-white contrast focuses attention on the whales' movements and forms is another hallmark of Jang Nam-won's whale photography.
To make it easier to understand the underwater photography process, which differs from land photography, this exhibition presents a documentary video of Jang Nam-won's underwater work, along with key stories—how the photographer came to begin underwater photography, the process, and his communion with whales—displayed together through illustrations by the illustrator Arisol. Through Jang Nam-won's whale photographs, born of overcoming numerous hardships and demanding shooting conditions—including several brushes with death—we hope you will marvel at the wonder of life and dream of a world where humans and nature coexist in harmony. 032-242-2987
