This work, a picture of a Bangsangsi mask made in the Joseon Dynasty, is part of 〈Korean Wooden Mask series〉. The 〈Korean Wooden Mask series〉 consisted of 33 wooden masks from the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties kept as national treasures in museums. The masks were restored by artisan Shim Yi-seok and were photographed against the mud wall background by Kim Young Soo. These pictures were published in the book entitled 『Korean Wooden Masks』 (Yeolhwadang, 1993). The book includes nine Hahoe Byeolsingut masks, two Byeongsan masks, seventeen Bonsandae masks, four Goseong Ogwangdae masks, and one Bangsangsi mask. It also contains pictures of the front and back of each mask. Each mask has its own character and role. For example, a Bangsangsi mask played a role in chasing evil spirits at the front of funeral processions. A new mask was made for each funeral and once used, was buried or burned in the grave.
Kim Young Soo (1946-2011) founded the Korean Photographer Association (Minjok Sajinga Hyeopoe) in 1999 and served as the president from 2003 to 2011. He held solo exhibitions including 《Hyeon-Joen》 (Duck Soo Art Gallery, Seoul, 1981), 《Human: Standee》 (Duson Gallery, Seoul; Hyunhwarang, Daegu, 1987), 《Human: ID Card》 (Batangol Museum of Art, Seoul, 1987), 《Floating Island》 (Gana Forum Space, Seoul, 2004), and 《Gwangdae》 (Gong Gallery, Seoul, 2007). He participated in various group exhibitions such as 《Seoul Spring》 (Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, 1993), 《The 15 Years of Korean Minjoong Arts: 1980-1994》 (National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art [MMCA], Gwacheon, 1994), 《Art toward the Society: Realism in Korean Art 1945-2005》 (The Niigata Bandaijima Art Museum and other museums, Niigata and other cities, Japan, 2007), and 《Re-viewing on Photography》 (Gallery Lux, Seoul, 2010). He received the Seoul Mayor’s plaque of appreciation in 1996 and a Korea Entertainment Award in 1999.
Kim Young Soo encountered photography first through local photographers in Daejeon and later learned photography by himself through studying foreign photographic magazines. Coming back to Seoul, Kim interacted with photographers such as Lim Eung-sik and Joo Myung Duck, and spent three years working on his craft in Kim Jung Man’s darkroom. In the 1980s, Kim Young Soo socialized with Minjung artists and worked tirelessly to enhance the status of photography in South Korea. For instance, he formed a photography division within the Korean People’s Artist Federation (Minjok Yesulga Chongyeonhap) in 1987 and founded the Korean Photographer Association (Minjok Sajinga Hyeopoe) in 1999, shedding light on Korean photographers through the 〈Rediscovery of Korean Photography series〉, and continued lectures and group exhibitions at the Korean Photographer Association. In addition, the portrait photography project for the underprivileged elderly, which he conducted with members of the Korean Photographer Association from the late 1990s, was another example of his social concerns and participation through photography. Kim Young Soo built his own unique world of photography by highlighting technical and aesthetic characteristics of photography as well as keenly facing real problems in society.
