Selected works by Cho Gi Seok
Cho Gi Seok’s photography blends surrealism with cultural symbolism, crafting vibrant portraits where nature and technology converge, exploring fundamental beauty and the evolving human experience.
In the photography of Cho Gi Seok, a vivid sense of surrealism meets the delicate art of storytelling. Each portrait is a meticulously crafted tableau, where color, light, and intricate props transform the subject into a character that exists between reality and fantasy. The world Cho creates is rich with narrative, echoing his background in graphic design and art direction. His journey from these disciplines to photography is evident in the visually complex and symbolically rich compositions he produces, where each element is deliberate, lending his work a layered, almost cinematic quality.
Recurring motifs within Cho's oeuvre, such as butterflies, flowers, and particularly orchids, speak to a deeper cultural resonance. Orchids, revered in Korean culture for their symbolism of harmony, longevity, and the balance of yin and yang, are used sparingly yet powerfully in Cho’s imagery. They act as conduits of purity and beauty, often juxtaposed with the human form to explore the theme of transformation. This use of flora as a narrative device mirrors the traditional Korean concept of finding beauty in simplicity, which Cho reinterprets through his contemporary lens.
Cho’s exploration of the nude in his recent work further exemplifies his pursuit of “fundamental beauty.” In projects like With Dawon & Emyung, the human body is entwined with natural elements, such as smooth stones, creating a visual dialogue between the animate and inanimate, the living and the eternal. This interplay of forms speaks to the photographer's interest in the essential, the core of aesthetic experience that transcends superficial adornment. Cho’s work with Korean models, in particular, underscores his commitment to expressing a deeply personal and culturally rooted vision, where communication and shared cultural context play a vital role.
As a digital native, Cho's work is also influenced by the omnipresence of technology and the internet. The tension between the natural world and digital innovation is a recurring theme, particularly in his Humanoid series, where he merges organic and technological elements to create otherworldly figures. These works reflect a meditation on contemporary identity, where the boundaries between nature and technology are increasingly blurred. Cho’s photography, in this sense, becomes a mirror to our times, capturing the evolving relationship between the digital and the organic, tradition and innovation, the surreal and the real.
“I like the beauty that comes from the harmony of opposites.” — Cho Gi Seok
Photography: Cho Gi Seok
Text: @zaxarov