“Treasure Island: Haunting Specters” Poster ©Museum Hanmi
Shinwook KIM’s (b. 1982) sol exhibition Treasure Island: Haunting Specters will be on view from October 13 to December 31 at Museum Hanmi Samcheong Annex.
Using photography, Kim explores the invisible realms that constitute the world through his observations of the periphery of materials and objects. He is interested in the impact of places, memories, and events on people and their surroundings, and pays attention to things that are invisible but present.
This exhibition tells the story of the Russian warship Dmitri Donskoi, which sank off the coast of Ulleungdo during the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. Based on the fact that the ship was rumored to be a treasure ship in 2018 and used in a fraudulent scheme, the artist draws attention to the fact that a real but unseen sunken ship has real-world implications.
To find clues to this ghost, he visits Ulleungdo, Busan, Gadeokdo, Geojedo, Chwido, and Jeju Island, islands where Japan built military facilities and photographed them. The exhibition also includes related documents and photographs, such as books on the Russo-Japanese War and the grave of Nikonor Bahilin, a navy on the Dmitri Donskoi.
