From July 13th, 2006 to August 11th, 2006, Gallery Lumiere presents ‘Eyes on Korea: Special exhibition from Gallery Lumire’ at Hofburg Imperial Palace in Innsbruck, Austria. Gallery Lumiere, as Korea’s premiere photography gallery with wide international network and prestige, has held ‘The Masterpieces of Photography in the 20th Century ‘, ‘Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Decisive Moment ’, and ‘Photography’s Turning Point: Alfred Stieglitz and Camera Work’ in the past, carefully selecting the works of great masters from the history of photography.

Through an in-depth study of the history of photography, Gallery Lumiere has presented not only the academic and historically recognized classical exhibitions, but also the contemporary exhibitions that suggest the trend in today’s world of photography.
In 2006, Gallery Lumiere established Lumiere International Photography Award (LIPA) to promote and help design the photography world’s future development. The new and upcoming photographers from around the world only need aspiring passion and creativity to qualify for LIPA, and the due winner receives the benefits of the composite artist support program, which includes both scholarship and fellowship.

The winner of the first LIPA was Yun Lee, who was educated in Germany’s Dusseldorf Kunstacademie and remains highly active in Germany. To break away from the inconsistencies of existing awards and become a widely recognized and reputable award, LIPA prioritizes recommendations from the world’s renowned and eminent artists in selecting its winner. Yun Lee received highly extolled recommendation from Thomas Ruff. LIPA is now commencing active international promotion to enable young artists to establish themselves as the distinguished artists in the photography world. ‘Eyes on Korea: Special exhibition from Gallery Lumire’ is held as a part of LIPA’s international promotion.

‘Eyes on Korea: Special exhibition from Gallery Lumire’ introduces Korea’s five talented photographers ? Seihon Cho, Youngman Choi, Woo Young Kim, Jaegu Lee, and Yun Lee ? to the world. Korea’s gentle, traditional beauty and Modern Art’s delicate sensibility are suavely reproduced in the singular works of the five photographers. They have been active in countries like the United States, Canada and Germany for duration of time, and one can discover the agony and inner-conflicts of the artists, pertaining to living in foreign cultural environment, that culminate into the art of photography.


Home to both Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s symphonies and Gustav Klimt’s golden femme fatale, Austria now hosts Gallery Lumiere’s first photography exhibition abroad. Innsbruck, as the capital of the Tirol province that German maestro Johann Wolfgang von Goethe had once commended for its beauty, is a serene city that boasts picturesque scenery and attracts mass of tourists. ‘Eyes on Korea: Special exhibition from Gallery Lumiere’ is held at the Europe’s finest, Hofburg Imperial Palace, where Rococo’s splendor and medieval austerity coexist. It was the notorious Marie-Antoinette family’s summer villa as well.
Both Tirol’s local media and Salzburg’s, where 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth is catching the world’s attention, are publicizing ‘Eyes on Korea: Special exhibition from Gallery Lumire.’ Moreover, it is introduced as an official event of the world’s renowned Tanzsommer festival in its official website. Over 300 of the Austrian artistic circle are invited as VIPs to the opening reception at the glamorous, Rococo-styled ‘Maria Theresa Reception Hall.’


The annual summer contemporary dance festival Tanzsommer and a local modern art-support group FREUNDE ZEITGENOSSISCHERKUNST KRAMSACH / TIROL, sponsor this exhibition. ‘Eyes on Korea: Special exhibition from Gallery Lumire.’ Is attracting hefty local media attention, as the first foreign exhibition Palace and, further, the first photography exhibition at Hofburg Imperial. Promoted with strong support from local art-support group, this exhibition will be able to demonstrate Korean photography culture’s diversity, potentials and capability.


Through ‘Eyes on Korea: Special exhibition from Gallery Lumire,’ Gallery Lumiere anticipates young artists’ passion for photography, along with the Korean photography culture, to take a leap. Furthermore, international cultural events as such will abet the different cultures to overcome their geographical and inherent differences, and ultimately soothe the communication between the East and the West. All in all, Austria and Korea will be a step closer to becoming cultural partners.