Urban explorer and photographer: Miru Kim (NSFW)
Ninja February 11th, 2008
Photography then is one of my attempts to make that magical moment of assimilation more permanent, by freezing it into still images. When the land of urban wilderness is redeveloped into a mall or condominiums, I will look through the photographs and wonder where the pack of dogs would have gone. The animals who were once so free would be put behind grated metal gates and succumbed to the needles. One significant motivating force in Naked City Spleen is the identification with the creatures that inhabit the forgotten and forbidden urban spaces. Images of my body in the photographs appear to impersonate the condition of freedom which is intrinsic to all sentient living beings.
– Miru Kim
NSFW pictures follow:
There’s something that draws me to cold, dark, abandoned, industrial spaces. Perhaps its the peeling layers of decay. Or the sense of adventure/danger when exploring a new place. Or maybe it’s how I imagine the look on the architect’s face if he could his/her massive structure that’s now in ruins.
Now place a small figure into this scene and the feeling shifts. There’s nothing quite as surprising (and scary) as seeing someone come out of the shadows and learning you’re not alone. Enter 26-year-old Miru Kim.
You would think that this small, nude, female figure would get lost in this crumbling, decrepit, urban setting. That she would appear even more fragile or helpless. But it’s quite the opposite. She owns the space.
Miru’s work does not focus on just the figure or the space, but rather the relationship between the two. Her digital photographs are beautiful, quiet, and poetic. Even though Miru (or sometimes her sister) is usually the subject of her photographs, it doesn’t strike me as being narcissistic or exhibitionistic.
Related link
+ See more of Miru Kim’s work here
