The 90th ARTCaffè hosted Gwanghapdan Art Collective. We had people representing 14 different countries in the living room of Seoul, with an audience tuning in online from the US, China, and South Korea.

Four members of Gwanghapdan shared the story of their collective: how and why it was founded, the origins of its name, their collaborative processes, the significance of being part of a collective today, and how empowering this experience can be for each individual member. Below is a summary of their conversation during The Talk.

‍

Jaime Permuth: Today, we will talk about the art collective Gwanghapdan. At its core, a collective is a group of people who enjoy spending time together. That’s how it starts. What they do during that time determines the kind of collective they are. One of the main things we do is edit a zine. We take turns rotating the task of editing among the members, so every month a different member becomes the editor. That’s quite an interesting process in itself. We also organize workshops—sometimes photography workshops, sometimes zine-making workshops. We have created a special film streaming night, like a miniature festival, and we organize artist talks every month. We even attended a book fair where we had the chance to interact with the public.I’ll be moderating today, so I won’t be talking as much. Here with me are three of the founding members of the collective: Goseong Choi, Hye-Ryoung Min, and Jiwon Kim. They will be answering some of my questions. Here comes the first: What was life like before? What’s life like now that you are part of the collective?

‍Goseong Choi: I lived in New York for 22 years before coming back to Korea two and a half years ago. I found it kind of strange. When I met photographers in Korea, I would ask them, “What’s good? Where can I see a good exhibition?” They tended to be secretive and reluctant to share anything. Later, I realized that because it’s such a small community, when someone says something is good or gives a compliment, it can feel political. I didn’t like that; I wanted to share my ideas and thoughts openly. I wanted to tell people, “This show is amazing, and you have to see it!”I met Hye-Ryoung and Ok Hyun, who isn’t here today. We’ve been good friends for many years. When we all returned to Korea, we decided to hang out regularly. We agreed to meet once a month to share ideas and catch up, so we could continue our work positively. At that time, we didn’t know what to call ourselves, and nobody referred to us as an art collective. I thought it was important to have this kind of activity to balance my life. If I focused solely on my own work for too long, I would feel like I lost the fun part, but when I played and shared ideas with friends, I rediscovered that joy.This balance between my personal work and our collective work has pushed my artistic creativity further than I could achieve alone. That’s how it all began.

‍Jiwon Kim: I’m Jiwon Kim, and I’m the only member who spent a lot of time in Europe. I lived in Germany for 13 years, where I went to art school and learned about performance, installation, video, and photography. Eventually, I started working mostly with photography. However, I didn’t have friends in Europe who shared my interest in photography, so I often felt isolated, like a one-person band. After COVID, I returned to Korea and was invited to join this collective. I didn’t have any plans for my art in Korea at the time, so I thought, “Why not?” Now I have great friends to talk to and share information with, becoming part of this community.

‍Hye-Ryoung Min: I’m Hye-Ryoung Min. As Goseong mentioned, as Koreans in New York, we could count the number of Korean photographers there on one hand—those who travel back and forth between New York and Korea for work. We formed a close-knit group. But once we returned to Korea, we realized we needed support. Although we would meet anyway, we wanted to do something more productive. Other artists were surprised to see a collective, as it’s not common in photography, where people often work alone. It’s nice to have someone to support you, whether positively or negatively, to share unfinished work, and to give honest feedback.We began to create a community where we could support each other, particularly young photographers who are curious to share their work during our events.

Jaime Permuth: Thank you for your thoughtful answers. It’s true that part of Gwanghapdan is that we’ve all spent significant time abroad. This idea of returning and trying to find a way to fit in is important. We had our first group exhibition recently, titled "Grounding," which reflects one of the greatest gifts this collective has given me—a sense of belonging, especially after living in New York for most of my adult life, where I built an extensive network of colleagues and friends. Here in Korea, we are coming together to create something meaningful.My next question to you is: How do you see your professional practice in relation to the collective? Is there any sort of exchange between the two?

‍Goseong Choi: It’s definitely not separate; it shares a lot of elements. Personally, my work tends to reflect daily events in my life. Initially, I focused on solitary landscapes, observing shapes and gestures of trees and leaves. Now, I take more pictures of people and everyday moments. In our collective, each member picks a theme that’s significant to them at the moment. This opens up new ways for me to think about my daily life. Each month, we create new photo works and write short texts, which helps refresh my artistic vision and practice.

‍Jiwon Kim: I see this collective work as an opportunity to experiment with different forms and techniques.

‍Hye-Ryoung Min: Each month, we choose a theme, and all members submit a number of photos and text for that month’s zine. For my personal projects, I have more time to focus on photography and editing, but the collective work forces me to pause and take a break from my routine. Sometimes it feels like homework, which can be stressful, but in a good way, it also gives me structure. I also realized that because we're involved in so many events and activities, people recognize us. Often, the first thing someone asks when they see me isn't about my work, but about Gwanghapdan. And I like that.

Jaime Permuth: Before we go any further, I’m sure there are people in the audience wondering about the name of the collective. Can you explain that?

‍Goseong Choi: We didn’t have a name at first and spent two months searching for a good one. Around that time, ChatGPT was becoming popular. One of our members had a conversation with it, and it provided a list of weird or cliches names. One of them was Gwanghapdan, which roughly translates to "Photosynthesizing Gang." We liked it because it reflects our work in photography and the idea of a chemical reaction. While it might seem a bit old-fashioned to Koreans, we appreciate that aspect.

Jaime Permuth: I might be wrong since I don’t understand the nuances of Korean, but that name has a warm, inviting tone, which reflects our collective’s spirit. We enjoy reaching out to other artists and collectives to connect with the community, and it’s been a short but impactful journey since we started just two years ago. Initially, our zines were produced more casually as a creative lab, but there has been a shift toward making limited editions available for sale. And that’s different. For example, we received a letter from the Museum of Fine Arts of Houston expressing interest in purchasing every zines for their library, which sparked discussions about selling them. Things shifted, even in the short span of two years. One of our members, our graphic designer, Mingyu, recently became a monk. We miss him a lot, but he still collaborates with us occasionally. I see a collective as an organic entity that will continue to evolve, shift, and change over time. And I was thinking if you have a vision, 5 years from now, about the collective. Where do you see it?

‍Hye-Ryoung Min: We had a meeting recently, reflecting on our two years and the challenges of producing zines for sale. Initially, we would casually exchange copies among a small group, but now we’re producing 20, 30, or 40 copies, which changes the entire process. We’ve learned to communicate differently on social media and have connected with people at book fairs and bookstores.From our last meeting, we’re considering a little shift for next year. While we will continue to produce and share work and hold events, we want to focus more on our individual projects alongside our collective work. We’re still refining our plans, but I believe we will adapt and evolve.

‍Goseong Choi: Over the past two years, our group has been evolving within the Korean photo community. Many people have noticed us because what we’re doing is typically seen among younger artists. In Korea, there aren’t many collectives for mid-career artists, so people find that unique. Gwanghapdan has a brand power that I believe is important to strengthen, as it benefits each member and the collective as a whole.

Jaime Permuth: To close this segment, can you share a special memory from your time together, within the collective?‍

Hye-Ryoung Min: One of my best memories was when I was the editor-in-chief for the zine. No matter how prepared I was, I had to stay up all night, before the meetings and working by hand. It’s challenging, but there’s something incredibly rewarding about hand-printing, sewing, and gluing everything together. I really cherish those memories.Another memorable moment was last December when I was awarded as one of three photographers by KT&G Sangsang Madang. During the presentation, I was nervous, but seven members of our group showed up to support me. They asked insightful questions that allowed me to express my work more deeply, knowing they understood it well. I felt incredibly supported. This year, Jiwon will be the presenter at KT&G Sangsang Madang, and we’ll be there to support her.

‍Jiwon Kim: I had an empty studio and wanted to use it for an event, so I curated a video screening program called Gwanghapdan International Film. I invited some members’ video works and some German artists. It was quite successful, combining photography and video work to showcase a diverse range of our practices.

‍Goseong Choi: We’ve organized a lot of events, including film festivals and small artist talks. As an artist, I've attended many talks and hosted my own exhibitions, but I've often felt something was missing. So we created a special artist talk format where we don’t use microphones, speakers, or projectors. We invite the artist to bring physical prints, and we sit around a table, limiting the group to just nine visitors. I believe certain conversations are best shared in small groups, using only our voices and without technical distractions. We call it a Gwanghapdan Night, as it typically takes place in the evening. I love meeting new participants and getting to know different artists; it allows me to hear perspectives I might not encounter elsewhere. Each of these events is very special to me, and I hope to continue them.