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SAIESEO: between two Koreas and Japan, Great-grandmother and I, 2008, 118x150cm, digital-c-print. A girl is 4th Generation of Koreans in Japan. When Korea is colony of Japan, Great-grand mother came from Korea. She dead in 2009.

SAIESEO: between two Koreas and Japan is a story about families in the Zainichi(Koreans who immigrated to Japan during the Japanese colonial era, and their descendants who remained in Japan) community, as the artist herself was born into and grew up in a Zainichi community. The Zainichi have spent prolonged time in between the three countries of North Korea, South Korea and Japan.

Although outsiders tend to consider the Zainchi to be homogeneous, the artist seeks to reveal how diverse identities exist within Zainichi communities, just like in any other community, through the personal histories of several Zainichi families. The artist conducted interviews with different families about their histories in order to individualities to life, extensively engaging in conversations to determine her main characters and contents, and met with her subjects face-to-face in their living rooms, with camera in hand.

Fourth and fifth generation Zainichi people are being born now, and one will be able to inspect each generation's views on marriage and education, and identities as the Zainichi continue to balance three different cultures.

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SAIESEO: between two Koreas and Japan, Daughter and I, 2011, 118x150cm, digital-c-print. Mother is Native Japanese. Many 2nd Generation of Koreans in Japan married with Japanese. But, at that time, Koreans in Japan did not like to marry with Japanese. And Japanese is also.

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SAIESEO: between two Koreas and Japan, Coming-of age ceremony, 2009, 118x150cm, digital-c-print. The concept of image is Coming-of age ceremony. When Japanese become 20 years old, they wear KIMONO(Japanese traditional dress). But Koreans in Japan wear HANBOK(Korean traditional dress).

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SAIESEO: between two Koreas and Japan, Everyday life, 2008, 118x150cm, digital-c-print. She is 1st Generation. Her husband was dead when he was 40 years old. She is interested in politics of Korea & Japan. For 1st and 2nd generation, Korea and Japan was ideology. But For 3rd generation like me, Korea and Japan is culture.

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SAIESEO: between two Koreas and Japan, Dad and I, 2010, 118x150cm, digital-c-print. There is KIM insook house in Japan. She holds ashes of father. This is also self-portrait of KIM insook.

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SAIESEO: Between two Koreas and Japan, Sun and I, 2008. She is buddy of KIM insook. They met Korean High-school in Osaka. She was a singer song writer. KIM insook used her songs another works. She married Japanese. Now she has two boys.

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SAIESEO: Between two Koreas and Japan, In grandmother’s house, 2009. She is also 4th generation of Koreans in Japan. This is the first time that she ware HANBOK( Korean traditional dress).

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SAIESEO: Between two Koreas and Japan, Sisters and I, 2008. The girls is very close friend of KIM insook. When KIM insook met them, yongest sister is 8 years old. Oldest sister is 20 years old in 2008. Their mother asked KIM insook to buy HANBOK from Korea for Coming-of-age-ceremony. The oldest sister married 2013. She wear the dress on her wedding ceremony.

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SAIESEO, Grandson and I, 2008

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SAIESEO, Entrance ceremony, 2008

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SAIESEO, To ancestors, 2008

SAIESEO: between two Koreas & Japan excerpt version, 1ch video 5min, 2008 (subtitle: Korean)

Born in 1978, Osaka Japan. Currently based in Seoul. KIM insook is the artist who makes her work mainly with photography and video through interactions with people. For her, the work is ‘an act of connecting’.

She’s working consistently for 14 years with the concept that is ‘ordinary’ in ‘unordinary’ things. And there is also special moment if you focusing on ‘ordinary’ days through private history of the people. The trace of ‘the meeting’ is visualized with installations of photos, videos and objects.

KIM insook thinks their identity is exposed by their private history with the succession of ordinary days. This is why she’s paying attention to ‘ordinary’ days and ‘private history’.

insook is the artist who has interest in identity. Especially, the identity of the people who is put on something between. The interest comes from her own Identity as the third generation of ZAINICHI, Koreans in Japan. She was born in Japan. And working as an artist in Korea for 11 years from 2003.

The process of seeking her own identity made a chance to start the work. (* In this text, ZAINICHI means not just Koreans live in Japan. It means the people who moved to Japan from Korean peninsula in the Japanese colonial period and their descendants. From 1910 to 1945, in the Japanese colonial period, about 200 million people moved to Japan for seeking better life and compulsory manpower mobilization.)

KIM insook had a number of solo exhibitions, including Gwangju Museum of Art, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Changdong Residency. She was also presented in many group exhibitions that include the 16th Festival Month of Photography FOTOFO(Slovakia), Hong Kong International Photo Festival, Donggang International Photo Festival(Korea), Daegu Photo Biennale(Korea) among others. And She exhibited many Museum group exhibitions(Korea and Japan).

KIM insook was selected as an artist in excellence in a 'Photo Review' programs at Seoul Photo Festival (2011), Daegu Photo Biennale (2012), and MIO PHOTO AWARD PRIME (2013). In 2012, KIM insook’s 47 frame work has been acquired by Ha Jung-Woong Collection (Gwangju Musem of Art) in Korea.

Insook Kim







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