Ever since the COVID-19 outbreak, traveling abroad has become difficult. Yet there is a place where the windy beaches of Miami, the bright skyline of Tokyo, and the golden desert of Dubai all exist: the exhibition of Yosigo.
Yosigo, born Jose Javier Serrano, is a Spanish photographer who captures artistic beauty by manipulating light upon human architecture and nature. He is hosting his first personal exhibition, Holiday Memories, at Ground Seesaw Seochon, Seoul from June 23 to December 12. The gallery is divided into three sections and seven themes, each section taking up a whole floor of the building.
The first section, “Architecture”, depicts how light affects architecture to create unique artwork. It focuses on introducing Yosigo’s photography styles to the visitors. Architecture from different parts of the world are framed together to create a single artwork, the individual photographs capturing a moment where the light dresses a warm tone both inside and outside the buildings. The photographs are arranged in a geometric organization that enhances the artistic beauty of symmetry. It is amazing how none of the photographs portray any form of life — they only display parts of buildings with no signs of human activity — yet successfully convey the feeling of liveliness through its bright, colorful tones.
The second section, “Documentary”, consists of two different themes that illustrate the perspective of a traveler in a foreign land. The first theme focuses on life around the dying Rio Avali, a river next to Barcelona that is polluted by industrial activities. In contrast to the still photographs of the architecture in the first section, this section presents its pieces like a film. The visitors get to watch the photos in a dark room, and such an environment portrays the tragic lives around the river more realistically.
The second theme presents photos taken in famous tourist spots around the world. As in the previous theme, the exhibition employs a wide array of devices to induce the feeling that the visitors are in the setting of the photographs. Photos of the exotic landscape of Dubai are enhanced by a sand-filled floor, as if they are in the middle of Dubai’s desert. The night view of Tokyo is displayed with lights shining behind them: visitors feel as though they are watching the night view from a window. The hallway that connects Tokyo and Dubai is displayed with pictures of a spa in Budapest. On one side of the hallway are full glass windows — like that of the French doors — hence bringing the bright sunlight into the hallway; it is as if the visitor is walking through the spa, enjoying the warm holiday sun. Throughout the exhibition, there are pieces of Yosigo’s personal anecdotes about his experiences while taking these photos, which augment another piece of joy as visitors can visualize Yosigo next to them explaining his adventures.
The final floor displays the highlight of the exhibition: “The Landscape”. The themes “holiday” and “tourists” include the main photographs that gained Yosigo his fame. In the previous floors, each theme is strictly separated from the others. Yet in this section, such separation does exist. The two main themes coincide together, creating a new synergy. The photos are displayed in various ways: in glass, in frames, in canvas hung ceilings, and in water. Such devices realistically express the gentle ripple of the waves and the tourists relaxing in the water. Yosigo’s handling of light reaches its climax in this section. It is surprising how the warm pastel tones of pieces of previous sections quickly change to strong flourishing hues. The burning red sun and deep blue sea make the visitors question whether Yosigo had secretly painted these pieces. The visitors can feel Yosigo’s strong passion for these photos, as they are taken from his homeland: San Sebastian, Spain. They satiate an exotic allure, enlightening its visitors with a feeling of a holiday.
The exhibition not only provided joy to the eyes, but to the ears as well. Genie, KT’s music streaming company, collaborated with the exhibition to provide an appropriate playlist that enhances the joy of the visit. The playlist is a mix of K-pop and Pop music, with the groove of bright summer days. It is composed of 20 songs, just enough numbers to listen to while enjoying the exhibition.
Bright, Light, Holiday
In all, the photographs provided a relaxing moment, yet accompanied with artistic inspiration. Jose took the name Yosigo from the poem his father wrote for him, which means “go forth”. Like the name, he took himself all over the world to take the pictures — and now, his pictures take visitors all over the world. While COVID-19 prevents many from traveling freely, this exhibition serves as a wonderful alternative to enjoy the light holiday mood by following the trails of Yosigo.