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ART
March 22, 2019
Britain on the Brink of EU Departure. A Photo Collection 'EXIT' Capturing the Lives of Ordinary People | KOOMI KIM
KOOMI KIM
Britain on the Brink of EU Departure. A Photo Collection 'EXIT' Capturing the Lives of Ordinary People
Published by BOOTLEG on March 29, 2019, Kumi Kim's photo collection 'EXIT'. On the same day as its publication, the United Kingdom, the setting for this work, pivots towards Brexit—departure from the EU. In 2016, Britain unexpectedly chose to leave the EU in a national referendum. The photographer, concerned that this movement, aimed at reducing immigration and limiting diversity, would lead to a loss of tolerance for multiculturalism and multi-ethnicity, decided to release this work. To commemorate the release of the photo collection, BOOTLEG GALLERY is hosting the photo exhibition 'EXIT'. The photographs, taken while coexisting with people across borders and genders, unfold a world that feels both real and imagined, offering a sense of the unseen.
Text by Satsuki Wakabayashi
Stories of Beloved Strangers, Captured by the Photographer
In the national referendum of June 2016, Britain chose to leave the EU. Photographer Kumi Kim, concerned that the nation's move—aimed at reducing immigration and limiting diversity—would lead to a loss of tolerance for multiculturalism and multi-ethnicity, visited London, where she had once lived, and photographed its ordinary people.
For her, Britain has been a place she's longed for since childhood, and since 2004, she has been photographing ordinary people and scenes there for 15 years. Furthermore, after the 2016 referendum, she extended her travels to Dover and Manchester. Thus, the photo collection 'EXIT' was born.
To celebrate its release, the photo exhibition 'EXIT' is also being held concurrently at BOOTLEG GALLERY from March 29, 2019, with a talk event scheduled for Saturday, March 30, featuring Kyuichi Tsuzuki as a guest.
A German man who changed his nationality to British to cast a vote for remaining, to protect his family. A Black youth who says he doesn't care about leaving the EU as long as he has money. A British painter who continued to squat until he made the flat his own. A pregnant woman who, on the very first meeting, asked, 'I'm giving birth at home, will you come to take photos?' A young single mother lamenting that her daily life is more worrying than the EU departure... While the EU departure tends to focus on politicians and business leaders, 'EXIT' is a photo collection that focuses on ordinary people—singles, couples, families...
The distance to the subjects includes a bird's-eye perspective, regardless of the degree of intimacy. This is precisely why the photographs in this work are not arranged chronologically, allowing the stories they hold to open up to multiple interpretations.
It also carries the wish that viewers will imagine the stories hidden within each photograph and contemplate them. With March 29, 2019, fast approaching, Britain remains in a state of flux. What will you feel and imagine as you look at the stories of its ordinary people?
Kumi Kim Photo Collection 'EXIT'
Price | ¥4,000 (excluding tax)
Exhibition 'EXIT'
Period | Friday, March 29, 2019 – Sunday, April 14, 2019
Hours | 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Open daily during the exhibition period)
Admission | Free
Venue | BOOTLEG GALLERY
Address | 1F, 40 Kaidai-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Talk Event
Date & Time | Saturday, March 30, 2:00 PM –
Guest | Kyuichi Tsuzuki (Editor)
Venue | BOOTLEG GALLERY
Address | 1F, 40 Kaidai-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Date & Time | Sunday, April 7, 2:00 PM –
Guest | Kazukazu Ohara (Art Director / BOOTLEG)
Venue | Aoyama Book Center Main Store
Address | Cosmos Aoyama Garden Floor, 5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo