Cho Gi-Seok: The Artist Exploring the Space between the Dichotomy
Cho Gi-Seok is a Korean artist rewriting K-pop and fashion photography in a dreamlike and surreal fable
Born in 1992, Cho came to photography via the practices of graphic design and art direction, before quickly realising that the only way to express the imagery within his mind was to create it himself.
Since then he has created an iconography that taps into a new Korean identity. His world is inundated with allusions to myth, folktale and fantasy while weaving them with a technological sensibility, only possible for one who has grown up in the post-internet age.
Like many other millennial creatives who have existed in an overabundance of media and digital stimuli, Cho has concluded that this plethora of reference points need not be a hindrance, but rather a rich buffet upon which creation can occur. By drawing unexpected and juxtapositional lines between disparate elements, new paths are discovered. Whether this be reviving an interest in Korean traditional wear such as the hanbok, or placing natural motifs such as butterflies and orchids among digital landscapes; his work continues to defy the status quo.
“I looked at millions of images online, and gradually, I realised that none of them told what I was familiar with. I decided to work on an iconography that spoke of the new Korean identity, of the people around me, of my most intimate emotions. And at the same time, it would address the world.”
Humans by nature long for clarity and security. We seek assurance in clear-cut definitions—mind or body, virtual or physical, male or female. Yet Cho’s imagery seems to explore a more nuanced understanding of our post-modern society. His photos are a coexistence of divergent points of view; with the modern and the ancient coming together in unified expression.
In recent years, he has boldly entered the world of music, directing the videos for the K-pop group XG. Yet, while moving into a new field, he has lost none of the experimental and creative flair that has made him such an important visual tastemaker as a photographer. His music videos embody much of the same elements as his photography; drawing upon surrealism and tradition to provide mainstream K-pop with enough edge to convert the most sceptical of music fans.
