[Gallery Walk] The Encounter of Nature and Humans, Architectural Stories in Black and White Film

Gong Geunhye Gallery, Michael Kenna Photo Exhibition
From 9/11 Tower to San Marco Cathedral, the Emotion Conveyed by Space

British photographer Michael Kenna, widely known in Korea for his photos of ‘Solsom’ in Samcheok, Gangwon Province, is now meeting visitors with works focused on architecture.

Michael Kenna, Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame, Study 10, Paris, France. 2007 ⓒ Michael Kenna [Photo by Gong Geunhye Gallery]

Gong Geun-hye Gallery in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, announced on the 2nd that it will hold an exhibition titled ‘Beyond Architecture - Beyond Architecture’ featuring Kenna’s architectural photographs from the 11th of this month until February 15th next year.

This exhibition offers a chance to appreciate over 200 architectural photographs taken by Kenna around the world in one place. Known mainly for his landscape and tree photos, he presents the unique aesthetics of architecture and the stories of space through this exhibition.

Kenna, who works with analog black-and-white photography, was awarded the French government’s Order of Arts and Letters in 2000 and 2022, and has visited Korea several times to share his artistic world.

The exhibition includes images of the Freedom Tower in New York, rebuilt after 9/11, the Art Deco-style Chrysler Building, the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy, and past views of Paris’s Notre-Dame Cathedral, which is currently being restored after a fire.

Michael Kenna, Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
Golden Gate Bridge, Study 10, San Francisco, California, USA. 1990 ⓒ Michael Kenna [Photo by Gong Geunhye Gallery]

A special highlight of the exhibition is the Golden Gate Bridge photo taken in 1990 in San Francisco, Kenna’s ‘second hometown’ after moving from the UK to the US (AP, artwork held by the artist).

The architectural works photographed by the artist explore not only the beauty of structures but also the relationship between humans and nature, and the historical and cultural meanings that architecture embodies over time.

His photos capture moments where nature and human-made structures harmonize, revealing another face of architecture through delicate black-and-white tones and strong contrasts of light and shadow.

On the first day of the exhibition, the 11th, at 3 p.m., there will be a meeting with the artist and a book signing event, providing visitors with a chance to interact directly with Kenna.

A gallery official said, “This exhibition will be a special experience to discover how human-made structures harmonize with nature and what stories they hold within time and space, beyond just architectural photography.”

The exhibition is closed every Monday, and admission fees and detailed viewing information can be found on the official website of Gong Geun-hye Gallery.

The exhibition runs until February 15th.