This is a book review of Water Does Not Soak in the Rain by Korean author Atta Kim. Atta Kim is a world renound philosopher photographer. His profound words and images are bound to leave an impact as you explore his work.
Atta Kim
Atta Kim earned the name โPhilosopher Photographerโ after his 2006 solo exhibition at the International Center for Photography (ICP) in New York. He was the first Asian artist to ever hold a photography exhibit at the ICP.
During his Q&A with the art critics and art lovers of the time, he explained his photography as his attempt to capture the disappearance of everything. He explained that his use of photography was a means of exploring the impermanence of life. In his own words, โUltimately everything disappears.โ
I dared to explore the reality of emptiness
โ Atta Kum
I was introduced to Atta Kim, the same way I was introduced to Koreaโs older generations of photographers, poets, and writers through a book gifted me by my father-in-law. Now, itโs my turn to introduce Atta Kim to you through his book Water Does Not Soak in Rain.
The Photography Philosopher
Early Career
Kim Seok-Joong was born in 1956 on Geoje, an island off the southern coast of South Korea, and not too far from Busan. He studied mechanical engineering, but decided to become a photographer, much to the chagrin of his father who had wanted him to become a professor.
He had his first solo exhibit in 1987. Then, changed his name to Atta Kim, (Atta meaning: You and Me) in 1993. He gained international recognition in 2002 as he was the first photographer to represent Korea at the twenty-fifth Sรฃo Paulo Biennial. The Sรฃo Paulo Biennial is the second oldest art biennial in the world. His photography has been heavily influenced by Zen (Sun) Buddhism, and many Western philosophers, along with philosophies on temporal existence and transcendence.
Later Career
He spent a good portion of his life in the 2000โs (at least up to 2014 as far as I could find) between Seoul and New York creating multiple photography projects. Each one had its own multiple sub-series.
One project could take between five to ten years to complete. In a 2010 article from JoongAng Daily, titled โThe Photographer that Abandoned his Cameraโ, he discusses his latest project, โThe Project Drawing og Nature Seriesโ, launched in 2009.
For this project he does not take pictures. Instead, he places large canvases in areas of historical significance and waits for nature to make its impressions on the canvas. The last interview I found of him was in 2014 with Korea Today. In this interview, he said that it may be โhis last project, a life long projectโ.
Korea Today โ Photographer Kim Atta Returns with New Project
Water Does Not Soak in Rain
I have two editions of Water Does Not Soak in Rain by Atta Kim, and a translated into English version by Inhee Iris Moon.
Both editions are a collection of his โAttaismsโ, a word coined in 2006 during the ICP exhibition; according to a 2010 article in the JoongAng Daily. One Book is a white hardcover with a black front endsheet and a black and silver photograph of the artist. His name is printed in silver. Pasted underneath the photo is the artistโs bio. There are not any images in the book.
The second book of the same title is a paperback cover with a printed photograph from his Museum Project. It is a first edition publication. This book has a small introduction, and two photographs from The Museum Project, Field Series, 1995, 1996. Plus, one from On-Air Street, New York series in 2005. Personally, I believe this is the photograph or series that got him noticed in the New York art scene. Midway through the book are more photographs from his On-Air project. These two photos are titled โSelf Portraitโ and โMonologue of Iceโ.
His Writing
The order of the earth and the universe is an entity too vast to solve or to explain.
โ Atta Kim, Water Does Not Soak in Rain, pg. 17
Water Does Not Soak in Rain, is a collection of epigrams, aphorisms, personal proverbs, and short journal-like entries; his โAttisimsโ. These โAttaismsโ are numbered 1-108. And, each have some corresponding notes on the following page. The entries come from his experiences while working on his ON-AIR and The Museum Project pieces. Since both of those projects took place over a course of 10 to 20 years, maybe overlapping, maybe not, I think the book is a collection of his thoughts, notes, perhaps journal entries, written over the course of that time. The book itself is not very forthcoming with information on time and place. Iโm making assumptions based on knowing what he was working on. Some of his writing makes you think, and others can feel a bit nonsensical, and one made me laugh:
#78
And it is at this time that I think of going to the bathroom
There are a few pages devoted to excrement. Not detailed, just the benefits of it.
My Impressions of His Writing
Maybe Not For Everyone
If you just randomly picked up this book and didnโt have any idea of the artist behind it would you like it? Itโs hard to say, but I donโt think it was Atta Kimโs intention for everyone to โget itโ or understand it.โ
He had a specific targeted audience, one that was already familiar with him. In fact, I think the book would be a great companion to his photography. The two books sat on my shelf for about two years before I bothered to really look at them. Honestly, much of it didnโt really mean too much to me until I learned more about him. Was this because I was too busy to let the words sink in, too mentally rigid? Perhaps. Nevertheless, having more outside knowledge made the books more accessible and the words more thought provoking.
My Personal Favorites
My favorite parts are when he points out something so ubiquitous, and obvious that we donโt even bother to think about it, like โwater does not soak in rainโ. A reactionary response can be, โof course, how can you make wet what is already wet?โ. But since I was simultaneously reading this book and learning about Atta Kim the phrase kept running through my brain. I moved past a knee jerk reaction, and my mind kind of fixated on it more- rain is water, water is rain what does that mean on a deep philosophical level? Anything? Nothing? You canโt soak what is already is? What is IS. The mind loop.
Notable Quotes
#91
Snow even if it falls endlessly, has no sound
Again, ubiquitous. I like this because it is true that when the snow falls there is no sound from the snowfall, in fact during the first snowfall everything seems silent and peaceful. I know this, everyone knows this, yet, I never actually thought about it, I just felt the silence and the peace.
Although I have woken from sleep to the sound of rain, I have never awoken to the sound of snow
pg. 233
I loved and still love it when I wake up to see snow in the morning. Even if you knew the snow was coming, it still feels so magical and like a surprise. I loved it more as a kid because I didnโt have to commute to work. Of course, itโs these life things like work, and tasks, and responsibilities, the daily grind that keep us from getting to enjoy the magic of snow.
I also like his observations about what he is seeing around him, his explanation about the camera he is using. He explains the meaning behind one of his projects, or his process. There are not a lot of these notes, but they help put things into context of some sort.
And then there are some โAttisimsโ that I just donโt get:
#68
Moving slowly the body disappears and the sound of the wind is heard.
This sentence has no corresponding writing so it floats without context. I was left to question. What is this supposed to mean? Is it Tai chi? Or is he referring to the melting ice of one on his ice carvings for The ON-AIR project? I just donโt know.
This is the type of book you spend time with like philosophy or poetry. You donโt need to read it from beginning to end. You can pick it up and turn to any page, and start there like a book of aphorisms or quotes. When you return to it later, you may have a different impression to what you had when you first read it.
Impressions of the Photography
I think his work from the late 1990โs and 2000โs is really compelling. I can understand why his work from his ON-AIR, The Streets, โNew Yorkโ Series was so well received by the New York art and photography scene.
The process alone was tedious, time comsuming, and takes an enormous amount of planning and patience. Atta Kim set his camera on a busy city street than to get his desired shot. He would keep the shutter open for 8 hours, sometimes more, allowing exposure over exposure on the film. He would do this around the world and on the streets of busy cities.
I imagine he would have had to sit with that camera for 8 or more hours to ensure the camera wasnโt knocked or moved. The result would be that everything stationary like buildings, street signs, and lights would come out clear. But, everything in motion blended together and blured until there was nothing but smoky wisps like a low hanging fog.
Ah hah! Maybe โmoving slowly the body disappears and the sound of the wind is heardโ is about these long exposures.
My Recommendations on Atta Kimโs Work and Book
I view him as more of an artist that uses photography as his medium than just a photographer. His work feel postmodernist, and his work is conceptual, experimental and philosophical. His photography is very conceptual.
If you like art and photography, particularly conceptual photography, Atta Kim should be on a list of Korean artists/photographers you should know. His work was very significant in the art world, and his contribution as a Korean artist is also important. He was the first Korean photographer to ever represent Korea in the second largest biennial art festival in the world. That is an extremely valuable contribution and shouldnโt be forgotten.
Yet, I wouldnโt recommend the book to everyone. It may not be everyoneโs cup of tea. I would recommend it to people who already know of him, and anyone that is intrigued or made curious by my write-up. If you are one of those people then you can find the book (a later edition) on Amazon, Abebooks, or MullenBooks.
No one knows how long things will unfold. If there is a tomorrow, then that means thereโs a completely unknown future in the world that awaits me, and thatโs why my history will continue. On-Air: On- Going.
โ Atta Kim
Where to Find Atta Kimโs Work
Bookstores In Seoul
Aladdin Used Bookstore: There are many stores in Seoul, you can try to find a branch near you by following the link.
Itaewon Foreign Bookstore: South Korea, Seoul, Yongsan-gu, Noksapyeong-daero, 208 1 ์ธต
List of Projects
- In-der-Welt-sein
- Deconstruction Series
- ON-AIR Project
- The Drawing Nature Project
Between 1995 and 2002 Atta Kim created The Museum Project in his work he would disrupt public spaces by curating a โprivateโ museum of people often naked inside plexiglas boxes. The project was meant to address issues of surveillance, alienation, vulnerability, and eastern philosophy
โ Yossi Milo Gallery
The Drawing Nature Project started in 2009. For this project he installed large white canvases in historical spaces both in nature and cities. The places were all of historical significance for example Hiroshima, Japan. He had sites up around the world in an attempt to capture traces of nature. He leaves the canvas in place for two years.
Quoted from his 2014, interview with KoreaToday:
Since there are so many creative elements beyond my imagination I have no idea when this project will end.
โ Atta Kim
He said it may be his last project.
Notes, Sources and Links:
Kim, Atta. Water Does Not Soak in Rain. WISDOM HOUSE Publishing Co., Ltd, 2008. Translated by Inhee Iris Moon
