[Sportschosun Jang Jong-ho] The perspective of young people who documented the military dictatorship and industrialization of the 1980s will meet today’s young generation again, 40 years later.
To mark its 40th anniversary, the documentary photography club 'Photo Group Hyunjang' of the Chung-Ang University Department of Photography will hold the photo exhibition 'Recorded Memories 40+1' at KP Gallery from July 8 to 18.
Founded in 1985 by students from the Chung-Ang University Department of Photography, Photo Group Hyunjang has documented the realities of Korean society based on the documentary values of recording and factual accuracy during a time when military dictatorship and social inequality were part of everyday life.
Over the past 40 years, it has carried on the documentary spirit of photography, producing about 300 members.
The exhibition features about 80 photographs created jointly by 16 alumni and nine current students. Its greatest significance lies not in being a simple retrospective.
Those who recorded an era through the eyes of 20-year-olds 40 years ago now face the records of today’s 20-year-olds in the same space.
Although the times have changed, the awareness of documenting reality and the social role of photography remain ongoing.
The alumni works are photographs that recorded turbulent moments in modern Korean history from 1986 to 1992, including the democratization movement, urban redevelopment, environmental pollution, human alienation, flooded areas, coal mining towns, people with disabilities, and military life.
The current students captured the social realities they have faced, from the tense scene surrounding the declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024, to the present.
Separated by 40 years, seniors and juniors each documented their own era, but their shared sense of purpose in observing society and testifying to reality connects them in different ways.
In particular, this exhibition restored film and printed photographs that had been damaged or partially lost over time using AI technology.
This was not an effort to create new images, but an attempt to revive disappearing records and connect the memories of that time with the present. Like digitally remastering an old film, the exhibition seeks to bring the breath of the scene recorded 40 years ago back to today’s audience.
Through this exhibition, Photo Group Hyunjang poses one question: "Are memories recorded 40 years ago still relevant today?" The hidden side of democratization and industrialization, the shadows of development and growth, and the lives of the people who lived through that era are not simply part of the past. They are important clues for understanding our society today. 'Recorded Memories 40+1' is not an exhibition that merely looks back on the past. It is one that asks again, in the present, about the meaning of records and the value of memory.
A Photo Group Hyunjang representative said, "We aimed for photographs that are truly necessary for this society and must exist," adding, "We hope this exhibition will become a place where the memories left by senior members 40 years ago and the records of current students come together to show the continuity of the spirit of documentation across generations." The representative added, "We also hope this exhibition will serve as an opportunity to rethink the social role of photography and the value of records."
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
