Atta Kim (born 1956) is a South Korean photographer who has been active since the mid-1980s. He has exhibited his work internationally and was the first photographer chosen to represent South Korea in the

São Paulo Biennial SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Serb Autonomous Regions (''Srpska autonomna oblast'', SAO), during the breakup of ...

. His early works were black and white portraits of subjects including psychiatric patients, individuals designated as "cultural assets" by the Korean government, and his own family. His later and most notable series of works have been exhibited as full color, large scale prints: ''The Museum Project'', which depicts people "preserved" within

Plexiglas Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a synthetic polymer derived from methyl methacrylate. It is a transparent thermoplastic, used as an engineering plastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, as well as by the trade names and bra ...

cases placed in various settings, and ''ON-AIR'', which uses long exposures and image compositing to make individual people and objects dissolve. Kim's work has been heavily influenced by

Zen Buddhist Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...

concepts of interconnectedness and transience, and he commonly uses Buddhist iconography.

Biography

Kim was born on

Geoje Island Geojedo (), or Geoje Island, is the principal island of Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is joined to land by two bridges from nearby Tongyeong. Gohyeon is the largest town on the island. Geojedo covers an area of , the second l ...

, one of the southernmost islands in South Korea, and completed elementary school there before continuing his education in

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

.. He studied

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...

at Changwon University and earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree. His application had been submitted on his behalf by a friend, who had also chosen his major for him because it offered a good prospect for a job after graduation. Kim's decision to become an artist caused conflict with his father, a schoolteacher who wanted Kim to become a college professor.. Kim began experimenting with photography in junior high school, though he never studied it academically. His work during college was mostly abstract; dissatisfied with the results, he decided to explore the outside world and to photograph people from various backgrounds and stages of life. His first exhibited series was "Psychopath" in 1987, which were portraits of mentally ill patients. His later participation in a group show gained him enough recognition that he was named Korea's representative to the twenty-fifth

in 2002, becoming the first photographer to represent Korea in that venue.. Kim entered ''The Museum Project'', which became his first work to be widely exhibited outside of Korea.. ''ON-AIR'', his first solo exhibition in the United States, was shown in 2006 at the

International Center of Photography The International Center of Photography (ICP) is a photography museum and school at 84 Ludlow Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. ICP's photographic collection, reading room, and archives are at Mana Contemporary in Jer ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to positive critical reviews.. In contrast to his attempt at capturing permanence in ''The Museum Project'', Kim now focused on transience in ''ON-AIR'', with large-scale images created through very long or multiple exposures. As of 2009, Kim lives and works in New York and Seoul.

Work

Kim has described his photographs as merely "byproducts" of his attempt at a personal philosophy. He cites inspiration from the concept of interconnectedness in

Zen Buddhism Zen (; from Chinese: '' Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka ph ...

, the focus on temporal existence in the writings of German philosopher

Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; 26 September 1889 – 26 May 1976) was a German philosopher known for contributions to Phenomenology (philosophy), phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. His work covers a range of topics including metaphysics, art ...

(1889–1976), and the teachings of the Russian-Armenian mystic

G. I. Gurdjieff George Ivanovich Gurdjieff ( – 29 October 1949) was a philosopher, mystic, spiritual teacher, composer, and movements teacher. Born in the Russian Empire, he briefly became a citizen of the First Republic of Armenia after its formation in 19 ...

(1872–1949) on transcendence. Kim is careful to explain that he is not a practicing Buddhist, despite the prevalence of Buddhist iconography and concepts in his work. Kim's work is in the permanent collections of the following institutions: *The Museet for Fotokunst,

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

, Denmark *EARLLU Gallery,

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

* National Museum of Contemporary Art,

Gwacheon Gwacheon (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It lies close to Seoul in the heart of the Seoul National Capital Area, and also lies just east of Anyang, Gyeonggi, Anyang. Seoul Subway Line 4 pa ...

, South Korea * Artsonje Museum, Gyeongju * Seoul Art Center, Seoul * Leeum, Samsung Museum of Modern Art, Seoul *Gyeongnam Art Museum,

Changwon Changwon (; ) is the capital and largest city of South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea (with a population of 1,025,702 ), and the 11th largest city of the South Korea, country. A port city, Changwon is bordered by Masan Bay to the south, and the ...

, South Korea *Daelim Contemporary Art Museum, Seoul *

New Britain Museum of American Art The New Britain Museum of American Art is an art museum in New Britain, Connecticut. Founded in 1903, it is the first museum in the country dedicated to American art. A total of 72,000 visits were made to the museum in the year ending June 30, 20 ...

, New Britain, Connecticut, United States *Microsoft Art Collectio

United States * Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum of Fine Arts,

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, United States * Society for Contemporary Photography,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, United States *

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 1961 ...

Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the List of United States counties and county equivalents, most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 202 ...

, United States * JGS Foundation, New York, United States

Early work

Kim's ''Psychopath'' series (1985–86) consisted of black and white portraits taken of patients in a Korean

psychiatric hospital A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe Mental disorder, mental disorders. These institutions cater t ...

, that were shot during long, interactive sessions. His interest in the patients was inspired by his reading of

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...

, and he intended to use his photography to reveal their consciousness; however, Kim ultimately concluded that the images "revealed nothing more...than the insanity of the patients.". Kim claims to have burned all 1,200 copies of the published collection, after the wife of a patron had to be hospitalized for a relapse of depression after seeing the book. Kim began his next series, ''Father'' (1986–90), after he reunited with his father following the success of ''Psychopaths''. He didn't consider the series, which depicted "the continuity of time" from generation to generation within his family, to be a significant artistic achievement, but thought it helped him "return...to isroots" and become "mentally independent." ''Human Cultural Assets'' (1989–90) is a series of black and white portraits of people designated "national cultural assets" by the Korean government. He met 150 individuals that had been so designated, which included elderly dancers, musicians, and monks, and spent between one and seven days with each trying to learn their personal philosophies. The series was not exhibited until 2002. Kim's ''In-der-Welt-sein'' (1990–91) consists of black and white images of natural objects near a Buddhist temple, which are revealed only by a dim light. Kim made the images with exposure times of one to two hours, taken between 3:00 am and 5:00 am, which are the hours known as the time of the Buddha's enlightenment. The name of the series (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

for "

Being in the world ''Being in the World'' is a 2010 documentary film directed by Tao Ruspoli. The film is based on Martin Heidegger's philosophy and is inspired by Hubert Dreyfus. It features a number of prominent philosophers. Philosophers such as Hubert Dreyfus, ...

") is a concept of the German philosopher

intended to eliminate the distinction between subject and object. Kim recounts that when his father would walk him home from school as a child, he would point out small details such as flowers, insects, or stones. These observances taught him that all things were of equal significance to his own existence.

''Deconstruction''

''Deconstruction'' (1991–95) consisted of black and white photographs of groups of nude men and women positioned lifelessly in desolate landscapes. These were described as "cinematic performance-based pictures." The subjects' faces are rarely visible, instead obscured by hair or by turning away from the camera so that they do not read as individuals. In a few images, however, the nudes are standing. Kim did not yet work with assistants, and so personally scouted the locations, recruited the models, and moved the equipment. Kim noted that the series "created quite a shock" because the critics were unable to accept it. Though "the bodies were meant to signify dominant new life," the images were also perceived as "look nglike the aftermath of a catastrophe.". Others wrote that his use of the body as an object reflected "the sense of the sacred being present in all things, whether animate or inanimate, and of all things comprising the sacred."

''The Museum Project''

Kim continued his placement of nude figures in unusual contexts in ''The Museum Project'' (1995–2002), his first color series. Each subseries within ''The Museum Project'' depicted people, either singly or in groups, formally posed on display within clear

cases as if they were museum artifacts. Kim's "core concept" in ''The Museum Project'' "is that every single being in the universe has its own worth;" the series then functions as Kim's "private museum" to preserve these people as "contemporary treasures." The series also explores "basic functions of the museum such as preserving, collecting, and categorizing.". ''The New York Times'' described the series as transforming human bodies into "untouchably inorganic" objects like "antique sculptures in a gallery or expensive machines in a showroom;" its critic found the series "effective: quiet, minimalist, mildly surreal." ''The Museum Project'' consists of nine subseries: *"Field" (1995–1996). Nude men and women are crouched or standing in the display cases (typically one per case), which are placed out in the world in various natural and manmade locations, such as within a forest, in the middle of a city street with oncoming traffice, and in a department store. *"Holocaust" (1997). Similar to "Field", the bodies are displayed out in the world, but are aggressively pressed between acrylic sheets hanging from meathooks in stark, industrial backgrounds, or hung by one leg in a row like sides of beef. *"People" (1999). People of different ages and professions are on display; unlike in "Field" or "Holocaust", the cases are shot against featureless, monochromatic backgrounds and are lined with white cloth upon which the people stand or lay. Some of the subjects in "People" are individuals, others are pairs or groups. All suggest aspects of the subject's identity through dress or their relationship to others in groupings. *"Prostitutes" (1999). Women are portrayed in traditional Korean dress in cases are displayed against red backgrounds. Some appear within the Plexiglas cases with other woman from different backgrounds, to obscure social status so "no moralistic judgment can be applied." *"War Veteran" (1999). Wounded Korean soldiers are displayed against red backgrounds. All are nude, and display their wounds through exposed scars or amputated limbs, or by accessories required by their infirmity such as crutches, canes, prosthetics, or a wheelchair. *"Sex" (1999). Nude couples in various positions of coupling, against a monochromatic background like the previous series. Some are engaged in what appears to be intercourse; others merely lay together or hold one another intimately. *"Suicide" (2000). Each image dramatizes suicide by a different method, such as shooting or

hara-kiri , also known as , is a form of Japanese ritualistic suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honor, but was also practiced by other Japanese people during the Shōwa era (particularly officers near t ...

. *"Nirvana" (2001). The largest subseries depicts Buddhist priests and nuns nude, initially in a temple setting. Their chief abbot agreed to let them pose in the temple because Kim stated that his purpose was "to see the purity." The series was expanded to other settings, such as a constructed temple with paraffin Buddha figures, and other subjects. *"Salvation" (2002). Nude men or women are chained to Plexiglas crosses and attached to IV feeds. The subseries is intended to reference the Christian concept that redemption is achieved through "transmission" of the sacred, as in Communion, in which the flesh and blood of Christ is symbolically ingested through bread and wine.

''ON-AIR Project''

Kim began ''ON-AIR Project'' (2002–present) when he pondered that the subjects in his "private museum" in ''The Museum Project'' would not exist forever. The central concept of ''ON-AIR Project'' is accordingly the impermanence of all beings in the universe. The "ON-AIR Project" consists of three different procedures: first, long exposure technique is procedure which can make an object disappear in proportion to the speed; second procedure is creating new images by superimpose several images. Lastly, a procedure can be executed with journey to find meaning of existence which can be represented by ice melting process. Using extended exposure time from 8 hours to 25 hours per cut, Kim makes moving people and objects disappear, which achieves both a visual effect as well as an expression of "the precious value of individuals and of history." Another grouping was formed from combining images so that an accretion of individuals becomes a composite. ''ON-AIR Project'' was largely praised for its philosophical richness as well as its striking, technically proficient visuals. The long exposure shots were characterized as a "radically different" imagining of duration. However, less effective were the composites in which the superimposition is conspicuous. Like ''The Museum Project'', ''ON-AIR Project'' consists of several subseries: *"DMZ" Eight hour exposures taken at the Korean DMZ between North and South Korea, over which time the 500,000 soldiers facing off across the border vanish to leave the landscape peaceful. It took several years for Kim to secure permission from the South Korean government to take the photographs, and the North Korean army responded with suspicion to the long exposures. The series took three years to complete. It was called the "most powerful" of the ''ON-AIR'' photographs, as well as the quietest. *"Sex Series" In one image, a couple having sex was photographed for a one-hour exposure. *"Self-Portrait" Each image is a computer generated composite of 100 portraits. These were accompanied at the ICP show by small arrays of the source photos. *"Mandala" *"Monologue of Ice" is a significant example of vanishing. "Mao", sculpted in ice, symbolized socialism melting in the face of time. Through the works "Pyramid" and "Qin Terracotta Army," Kim tried to express the transience of power, the absurdity of greed, and the vanity of Qin, the first emperor of the Qin dynasty, in ice form. There is no exception for Buddha who was one of the greatest teachers who taught eternal truth. All beings vary in time. It may look that they are fading away, but in reality, doesn't always they are. *"Eight Hours" 1- New York: Street and pedestrian traffic dissolves in a mist over the long exposures, in photos taken in iconic, and typically crowded locations in New York City's

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

, Grand Central Station, the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

Park Avenue Park Avenue is a boulevard in New York City that carries north and southbound traffic in the borough (New York City), boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the wes ...

, and

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan in New York City. The avenue runs south from 143rd Street (Manhattan), West 143rd Street in Harlem to Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. The se ...

.Se
New York Series #110-1
(2005)

(2005)

(2005); . 2- China: The city of

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

and

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

Tiananmen Square Tiananmen Square or Tian'anmen Square () is a city square in the city center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen ("''Gate of Heavenly Peace''") located to its north, which separates it from the Forbidden City. The square contains th ...

, Chang'an Avenue,

Nanjing Road Nanjing Road (; Shanghainese: ''Noecin Lu'') is a road in Shanghai, the eastern part of which is the main shopping district of Shanghai. It is one of the world's busiest shopping streets, along with Fifth Avenue, Oxford Street, Orchard Road, T ...

3- India: The city of

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

and

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

Karol Bagh Karol Bagh (also spelled Qarol Bagh, ) is a neighborhood in Central District of Delhi, India. It is a mixed residential and commercial neighborhood known for shopping streets, such as the Ghaffar Market and Ajmal Khan Road. It was home to th ...

Chandni Chowk The Chandni Chowk (meaning Moonlight Square) is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi, India. There is another location in Pune with the name Chandani Chowk. Located close to the Old Delhi railway station, the Mughal-era Red Fort ...

, Victoria Station 4-

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (, ) was a guarded concrete Separation barrier, barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany). Construction of the B ...

, Bahnhof Wittenberg Platz,

Brandenburg Gate The Brandenburg Gate ( ) is an 18th-century Neoclassical architecture, neoclassical monument in Berlin. One of the best-known landmarks of Germany, it was erected on the site of a former city gate that marked the start of the road from Berlin t ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

: Narodni,

Old Town Square Old Town Square ( or colloquially , ) is a historic square in the Old Town quarter of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. It is located between Wenceslas Square and Charles Bridge. Buildings The square features buildings belonging t ...

, Marlostranske Namesti,

Wenceslas Square Wenceslas Square (Czech language, Czech: , colloquially ''Václavák'' ; German language, German: ''Wenzelsplatz'') is one of the main city squares and the centre of the business and cultural communities in the New Town, Prague, New Town of Pr ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Champs-Élysées The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an Avenue (landscape), avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc ...

Place de la Concorde The Place de la Concorde (; ) is a public square in Paris, France. Measuring in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées. It was the s ...

Pont Alexandre III The Pont Alexandre III () is a deck arch bridge that spans the Seine in Paris. It connects the Champs-Élysées quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower. The bridge is widely regarded as the most ornate, extravagant bridge in the ...

Pont Neuf The Pont Neuf (, "New Bridge") is the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris, France. It stands by the western (downstream) point of the Île de la Cité, the island in the middle of the river that was, between 250 and 225 BC, ...

*"Indala" This series which entails creating one image with superimposed images of up to ten thousand images photographed from a city is the flower of the "ON-AIR Project". Although ten thousand images are invisible, individual's identities never disappear. It only transforms its form. This is the reality of the world.

Exhibitions

Solo shows

*1985 - ''Man'', Hanmadang Gallery,

, South Korea *1986 - ''Monologue'', Busan Gallery, Busan *1987 - ''Psychopath'', Yechong Gallery,

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea *1988 - ''Song of Empty Hand'', Baeksaek Gallery, Busan *1988 - ''Child of Nucleus'', Pinehill Gallery, Seoul *1990 - ''Father'', Hanmadang Gallery, Seoul *1993 - ''The Korean People'', Nikon Salon Gallery,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan *1994 - ''Deconstruction'', Space Saemter Gallery, Seoul *1995 - ''The Museum Project'', NauvoGallery, Busan ( installation,

performance A performance is an act or process of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Performance has evolved glo ...

) *1995 - ''Gaia in 2005 Years'',

Ulsan Ulsan (; ), officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's seventh-largest metropolitan city and the eighth-largest city overall, with a population of over 1.1 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighbo ...

, South Korea (performance) *1996 - ''The Museum Project'', Samsung Photo Gallery, Seoul *2001 - ''Museum Project'', Society for Contemporary Photography,

, United States *2005 - ''ATTAKIM'', Galerie Gana – Beaubourg,

, France *2006 - ''Atta Kim: ON-AIR'',

, United States *2006 - ''The Museum Project'', Yossi Milo Gallery, New York, New York *2008 - ''Atta Kim: ON-AIR, Rodin Gallery, Seoul'' *2009 - ''AttaKim: ON-AIR, 53rd International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia- Collateral Events, Venice'' *2012 - ''New/Now: Atta Kim''

, New Britain, Connecticut, United States

Group shows

*1988 - ''Haeundae Beach Art Fair'',

, South Korea (installation) *1991 - 1992 - ''Horizon of Korean Photography'', Total Gallery,

, South Korea (1991); Seoul Metropolitan Museum, Seoul (1992) *1992 - ''Ah! Korea'', Jahamoon Gallery, Seoul *1993 - ''Art and Photography'', Seoul Art Center, Seoul *1993 - ''Image and Photography'', Sonje Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul *1994 - ''Korean Contemporary Photography'', Seoul Art Center, Seoul *1994 - ''View of Next Generation of Korean Contemporary Art in 1994'', Seoul Art Center, Seoul *1995 - ''Korea Avant-Garde Art since 1967-1995: Rebellion of Space'', Seoul Metropolitan Museum, Seoul *1995 - ''The New Generational Tendency in Korean Contemporary Art (Body & Recognition)'', Art Center of the Korean & Culture Foundation, Seoul *1995 - ''Expressional Medium of Korean'', Contemporary Art Seoul Metropolitan Museum, Seoul *1995 - ''Photographers in our Time'', Gallery Art Beam, Seoul *1996 - ''Photography is Photography'', Samsung Photo Gallery, Seoul *1997 - ''Legends from Daily Life'', Sonje Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul *1998 - ''Alienation & Assimilation'',

Museum of Contemporary Photography A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private collections that are used by researchers ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, United States *1998 - ''A History of Korean Photography'', Seoul Art Center, Seoul *1999 - ''A Window, Inside and Outside'', Kwangju City Art Museum,

Gwangju Gwangju (; ), formerly romanized as Kwangju, is South Korea's list of cities in South Korea, sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated Special cities of South Korea, metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home ...

, South Korea *1999 - ''The Segment of Time'', Seonam Art Center, Seoul *2000 - ''after time'', Howart Gallery, Seoul *2000 - ''Odense Foto Triennale Festival of Light'',

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

*2000 - ''Houston FotoFest'', Williams Tower Gallery,

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, United States *2001 - ''2001 Photo Festival'', Gana Art Center, Seoul *2001 - ''Image from the Land of Morning Calm'', 6th International FotoFestival,

Herten Herten (; Westphalian: ''Hiätten'') is a town and a municipality in the district of Recklinghausen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated in the industrial Ruhr Area, some west of Recklinghausen. Geography Town area Herten cov ...

, Germany *2001 - ''Digital Dreams, Analogue Desires'', Art Center of Korean Art & Culture, Seoul *2001 - ''Artspectrum-2001'', Ho-Am Art Gallery, Seoul *2001 - ''Awakening'', Australian Center for Photography,

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia *2001 - 2002 - ''Translated Acts: Performance and Body Art from East Asia 1991-2001'', traveling exhibition: Carrilo Gill Museum,

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, Mexico (2002);

Queens Museum of Art The Queens Museum (formerly the Queens Museum of Art) is an art museum and educational center at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, United States. Established in 1972, the museum includes the '' Panorama of the City of Ne ...

, United States (2001);

Haus der Kulturen der Welt The Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), in English House of World Cultures, in Berlin is Germany's national center for the presentation and discussion of international contemporary arts, with a special focus on non-European cultures and societi ...

, Germany (2001) *2002 - ''Asia Comments'', Danish Center for Culture & Development,

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, Denmark *2002 - ''Red Light'', Australian Center for Photography, Sydney *2002 - ''Site+Sight'', Singapore Arts Festival,

*2002 - ''2002 Asia Photo Bienale'', Seoul *2002 - ''Exhibition for the Winners of Hanam International Photo Awards'',

Hanam Hanam (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Formerly a part of Gwangju County, it was designated a city in 1989. The ancient Baekje capital of Hanam Wiryeseong may have been located there. Lying immediately east of Seoul, Hanam i ...

, South Korea *2003 - ''25th

'',

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Brazil *2003 - ''BODYSCAPY'', Rodin Gallery, Seoul *2003 - ''Youngeun2003 Residency – The Journey of Spaces'', Youngeun Museum of Contemporary Art, Youngeun, South Korea *2003 - ''Asia'', Asia Society Gallery, New York, New York *2003 - ''FotoFest - Russia'', Samara Regional Museum of Fine Arts,

Samara Samara, formerly known as Kuybyshev (1935–1991), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast in Russia. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara (Volga), Samara rivers, with a population of over 1.14 ...

, Russia *2003 - ''Point of Time'', Gallery Gana Beaubourg,

, [rance *2004 - ''Opening exhibition'', Gyeongnam Art Museum,

, South Korea *2004 - ''The 4th Photo Festival'', Ganagallery, Seoul *2004 - ''FotoFest'', Moscow Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia *2004 - ''Gwangju Biennale 2004'',

, South Korea *2005 - ''Encounters with Modernism: Highlights from the Stedelijk Museum and the National Museum of Contemporary Art Korea'', National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul *2005 - ''The 1st Pocheon Asian Art Festival'', Pocheon Art Hole,

Pocheon Pocheon (; ) is an landlocked, inland Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in northeast Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It covers 2 with a population of 160,176 people, according to the 2008 census. Pocheon lies between Seoul and the mou ...

, South Korea *2005 - ''FAST FORWARD Photographic Message From Korea'', Fotografie Forum International,

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, Germany *2005 - ''Contemporary Art of Korea'', Busan Museum of Modern Art,

*2006 - ''Infected Landscape'', Julie Saul Gallery, New York, New York *2006 - ''Eleven: 11 Contemporary Artists'', Michael Hoppen Gallery,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, United Kingdom *2007 - ''Photo Miami: The international Contemporary Art Fair of Photo-Based Art, Video& New Media'', Miami, Florida *2007 - '' Asian Contemporary Art Fair New York'', New York, New York *2007 - ''Like There Is No Tomorrow'', Caprice Horn Gallery, Berlin *2007 - ''Performance Art of Korea'', Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul *2007 - ''Beauty, Desire and Evanescence'', Space –DA Gallery, Beijing *2007 - ''Landscape of Korean Contemporary Photography'', Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul *2007 - ''Incarnation'', Hammond Museum, New York, New York *2007 - ''Exhibition for the Winners of Dong-gang Photo Awards'', Yeongwol *2007 -
Loaded Landscapes Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, Illinois
' *2007 -
Photo Miami: The international Contemporary Art Fair of Photo-Based Art, Video& New Media, Miami
' *2007 - ''Sotheby's Contemporary Art Asia: presenting 30 top Asian Artists'', Mandarin Oriental, Miami *2008 - ''Korean Art 1980-2000'', National Museum of Contemporary Art, Gwacheon *2008 - ''Paris Photo 08'', Carrousel du Louvre, Paris *2008 - ''Contemporary Korean Photographs 1948–2008'', National Museum of Contemporary Art, Gwacheon *2009 - ''Love'', The Dock Art Center, Leitrim *2010 - "Grain of Emptiness: Buddhism Inspired Contemporary Art," Rubin Museum, New York

Catalogs and monographs

*''Human Life I: Psychopath.'' (as Kim Sok Joong),Sunyoung Publishing Co., Seoul, 1987. *''Father.'' View Point Publishing Co., Busan, 1990. *''Poems.'' Jipyoung Publishing Co., Busan, 1994. *''The Museum Project''. A&A Publishing Co., Seoul, 2002;

Aperture Foundation Aperture Foundation is a nonprofit arts institution, founded in 1952 by Ansel Adams, Minor White, Barbara Morgan (photographer), Barbara Morgan, Dorothea Lange, Nancy Newhall, Beaumont Newhall, Ernest Louie, Melton Ferris, and Dody Warren. Their ...

, 2005. *''Atta Kim: ON-AIR''.

Steidl Steidl is a German-language publisher based in Göttingen, Germany. Founded in 1968 by Gerhard Steidl, it publishes photobooks. Overview The company was started by Gerhard Steidl.Bill Kouwenhoven, "Off to see the wizard", ''British Journa ...

, 2006. *''Water does not soak in Rain''. Wisdomhouse, Seoul, 2008. *''Deconstruction''. Hakgojae, Seoul, 2008. *''The Portrait''. Hakgojae, Seoul, 2008. *''Atta Kim New York Sketch''. Wisdomhouse, Seoul, 2008. *''Atta Kim India Sketch''. Wisdomhouse, Seoul, 2008. *''Atta Kim water does not soak in rain''. Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfildern, 2009. *''Atta Kim ON-AIR EIGHTHOURS''. Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfildern, 2009.

Gallery

File:Monologue of Ice by Atta Kim.jpg, On-Air Project #116-4, Monologue of Ice File:Atta Kim project 121-1.jpg, On-Air Project #121-1, Monologue of Ice File:On-Air Project -150-8, Changan Main Street in Beijing (installation art by Atta Kim).jpg, On-Air Project #150-8, Changan Main Street in Beijing, China series File:The_Great_Wall_from_Atta_Kim.jpg, On-Air Project #150-22, The Great Wall, China series

Notes

References

* *. *. *. *. *. *. Interview with Atta Kim conducted over e-mail with translator. *. * * (lists solo and group exhibitions).

External links

Atta Kim official site
International Center of Photography

exhibition images
Images from the Museum Project and ON-AIR, Yossi Milo Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Atta People from South Gyeongsang Province South Korean expatriates in Germany South Korean photographers 1956 births Living people People from Geoje