Amorepacific Museum of Art (APMA) will be opening <Andreas Gursky>, the first solo exhibition held in Korea of the master of contemporary photography Andreas Gursky. The exhibition will be held at APMA in Yongsan, Seoul from March 31 to August 14, 2022.

German photographer Andreas Gursky is a master of contemporary photography who has unveiled large-scale works that capture deep insights about humanity and civilization. Gursky captures places that symbolize modern civilization such as skyscrapers, factories, apartment buildings, and stock exchanges, encouraging viewers contemplate on the existence of individuals living in a larger society. His new exhibition will display the sublime aspiration of the artist, who has captured aspects of modern civilization through the presence of individuals existing in enormous spaces such as nature and architecture.

Born in Leipzig, Germany, Gursky studied typological photography from Bernd Becher and Hilla Becher, who established the aesthetics and tradition of German contemporary photography, at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. Unlike his early pieces that captured surrounding landscape in a composed perspective, Gursky began to work on photography of creating new scenes by combining and editing images of long-distance photos since the 1990s. The artist also refers to abstract paintings or minimalism sculptures in his work, expanding the standardized framework of photography through experiments that transcend the boundaries of genres.

APMA will exhibit 47 works that provide an overview of Gursky’s entire artistic career for about 40 years including key works such as <Paris, Montparnasse> (1993) and <99 Cent> (1999, remaster 2009). Spread over seven exhibition spaces, it is comprised of key themes of ‘Constructed Image’, ‘Art Historical References’ and ‘Sublime Aspiration’. The exhibition, especially, will present the artist’s new works, <Eisläufer> (2021) and <Streif> (2022), for the first time in the world.

A member at APMA said, “the exhibition, which provides an overview of the artist’s works from early pieces in the mid-1980s to his latest works produced in 2022, will be a valuable opportunity to shed light on the entire oeuvre of Gursky, who left a defining footprint on contemporary photography” and added, “APMA, which pursues to create a space for creative communication filled with inspiration, looks forward to this exhibition serving as an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of photography as a genre in contemporary art and sharing inspiration with the Korean art world.”