During the Joseon Dynasty, scholars loved the noble form and nature of the lotus that they even made ponds in a garden so that they can just plant lotuses. The Royal family was no exception. They planted lotuses in a pond of the palace and appreciated the beautiful postures. King Suk-Jong made a new pavilion at Changdeok-gung and named it Aeryeon-jeong in support of planting lotuses. As such, lotuses were widely loved for their noble attributes and many scholars during the Joseon Dynasty created poems and paintings to express their desire to live with integrity just like the characteristics of a lotus.

 

The lotus, having long tradition as a noble subject of literature and art, Yong-Ho Kim shares contemporary perspective of the lotus. As the root of a lotus is stuck at the bottom of a pond within that thick mud, it stands strongly for the leaf to express its noble and pure posture. The lotus, where the water surface becomes the boundary line and lives in a world where the two worlds are clearly divided, provides an opportunity to take a step further in answering what the “other side” of the world is and the truth beyond what is seen. The truth that Yong-Ho Kim sought to find within the material or realistic limits of the photographs with lotuses as the subject is Pian itself. Pian refers to the ultimate sanctuary that the artist was looking for, in which there is no discrimination and distinction.