For the first time in South Korea, the work of Shoji Ueda, a luminary of 20th-century Japanese photography, will be celebrated in a major retrospective titled Ueda Shoji: Theatre of the Dunes. Hosted by Piknic in Seoul, the exhibition will run from October 12, 2024, to March 2, 2025, featuring over 170 original prints that span the artist’s seven-decade-long career.
Shoji Ueda is a master of staged photography and monochrome imagery. His groundbreaking techniques and distinctive style have earned him the unique designation "Ueda-cho," a term coined in the West to describe his unparalleled aesthetic. Ueda’s works are celebrated for their timeless quality, offering a blend of surrealism, minimalism, and emotional depth that has influenced generations of photographers.
The installation view of the exhibition, Courtesy of the Piknic Seoul
The retrospective offers a comprehensive look at Ueda’s career, beginning with his early masterpiece, Four Girls, Four Poses, shot in 1939. Visitors will also experience his acclaimed Dunes Series, where the stark beauty of the Tottori sand dunes provides a surreal backdrop for human subjects. Additional highlights include the Children’s Calendar and Small Biography series, which reflect Ueda’s unique ability to merge the every day with the extraordinary.
Expanding beyond his better-known monochrome works, the exhibition includes Ueda’s remarkable color photography, such as the White Wind series, which captures fleeting, ethereal moments with a poetic sensibility. His later ventures into fashion photography are also on display, showcasing his adaptability and willingness to experiment with different genres throughout his career.
The installation view of the exhibition, Courtesy of the Piknic Seoul
The exhibition’s title, Theatre of the Dunes, underscores the central role of the dunes near Ueda’s hometown of Tottori in shaping his artistic vision. These landscapes, often paired with meticulously arranged subjects, became a signature element of his work, blurring the line between natural beauty and human intervention.
Shoji Ueda’s work transcends traditional photographic boundaries, combining portraiture, landscape, and conceptual art into a cohesive yet dynamic body of work. His meticulous compositions, often infused with mystery and simplicity, continue to resonate with audiences worldwide, proving the enduring power of his artistic vision.
Father, Mother and Children, 1949, Photography, Courtesy of Piknic
The exhibition is a rare opportunity for Korean audiences to explore Ueda’s complete oeuvre. It offers insights into his creative process and the cultural and historical contexts that shaped his work. Visitors will leave with a deeper understanding of how Ueda revolutionized photography, turning ordinary moments into extraordinary visual narratives.
Piknic, located in Jung-gu, Seoul, provides an ideal setting for this monumental exhibition. The immersive display invites visitors to enter Ueda’s poetic world, where every frame is a story, and every subject reflects a larger truth about life and art. With its blend of historical significance and artistic innovation, Ueda Shoji: Theatre of the Dunes is an unmissable event for anyone seeking to experience the transformative power of photography.
Sayart / Nao Yim, yimnao@naver.com
Piknic Seoul, Courtesy of the gallery's instagram
For the first time in South Korea, the work of Shoji Ueda, a luminary of 20th-century Japanese photography, will be celebrated in a major retrospective titled Ueda Shoji: Theatre of the Dunes. Hosted by Piknic in Seoul, the exhibition will run from October 12, 2024, to March 2, 2025, featuring over 170 original prints that span the artist’s seven-decade-long career.
Shoji Ueda is a master of staged photography and monochrome imagery. His groundbreaking techniques and distinctive style have earned him the unique designation "Ueda-cho," a term coined in the West to describe his unparalleled aesthetic. Ueda’s works are celebrated for their timeless quality, offering a blend of surrealism, minimalism, and emotional depth that has influenced generations of photographers.
The installation view of the exhibition, Courtesy of the Piknic Seoul
The retrospective offers a comprehensive look at Ueda’s career, beginning with his early masterpiece, Four Girls, Four Poses, shot in 1939. Visitors will also experience his acclaimed Dunes Series, where the stark beauty of the Tottori sand dunes provides a surreal backdrop for human subjects. Additional highlights include the Children’s Calendar and Small Biography series, which reflect Ueda’s unique ability to merge the every day with the extraordinary.
Expanding beyond his better-known monochrome works, the exhibition includes Ueda’s remarkable color photography, such as the White Wind series, which captures fleeting, ethereal moments with a poetic sensibility. His later ventures into fashion photography are also on display, showcasing his adaptability and willingness to experiment with different genres throughout his career.
The installation view of the exhibition, Courtesy of the Piknic Seoul
The exhibition’s title, Theatre of the Dunes, underscores the central role of the dunes near Ueda’s hometown of Tottori in shaping his artistic vision. These landscapes, often paired with meticulously arranged subjects, became a signature element of his work, blurring the line between natural beauty and human intervention.
Shoji Ueda’s work transcends traditional photographic boundaries, combining portraiture, landscape, and conceptual art into a cohesive yet dynamic body of work. His meticulous compositions, often infused with mystery and simplicity, continue to resonate with audiences worldwide, proving the enduring power of his artistic vision.
Father, Mother and Children, 1949, Photography, Courtesy of Piknic
The exhibition is a rare opportunity for Korean audiences to explore Ueda’s complete oeuvre. It offers insights into his creative process and the cultural and historical contexts that shaped his work. Visitors will leave with a deeper understanding of how Ueda revolutionized photography, turning ordinary moments into extraordinary visual narratives.
Piknic, located in Jung-gu, Seoul, provides an ideal setting for this monumental exhibition. The immersive display invites visitors to enter Ueda’s poetic world, where every frame is a story, and every subject reflects a larger truth about life and art. With its blend of historical significance and artistic innovation, Ueda Shoji: Theatre of the Dunes is an unmissable event for anyone seeking to experience the transformative power of photography.
