Since the 1970s, Masako Matsui has exhibited photographs taken in Portugal and former colonies, as well as abroad, with the aim of capturing the common emotions that exist in different politics, religions and cultures. This exhibition presents previously unseen photographs taken during a trip to Korea in 1981-82. This is the sequel to the exhibition titled "Winter WanderingsⅠ-South Korea,1981/82-" which was held in June 2022.

“When I first visited South Korea, it was a time when the assassination of President Park Chung-hee in 1979 and the Gwangju Incident in 1980 cast a strong shadow over the country. The audience was mostly male. In Seoul, patriotic songs were played before the theater opened and in the streets every night, and everyone stood up straight. From midnight to 4 a.m., no night out There was also a crackdown on long hair that made no distinction between men and women.

Many young people wore camouflage uniforms and school uniforms. It was a heavy winter journey that made me realize that the country was on a military truce. He showed a simple appearance which is different from Korea, who has been feeling rigid lately. What you will be able to see during your trip will be a moment on the spot. The city, like a living being, always shows a completely different appearance depending on the era, season, day of the week, time of day, etc., even in the same place. And sometimes the vision is universal. In this unstable world where events beyond human expectations follow one another, I wondered if it was significant to expose a certain moment in the country where I once traveled, because it has disappeared. I wanted to make everyday moments exist through photography, this place at that moment.

Location: Seoul, Gyeongju, Busan, Jeju, Mokpo, Gwangju, Jeonju, Suwon. (Masako Matsui)

For more information (in Japanese only), please click here