The Spatial Meaning of Jeju Island to Photographer Kim Young-Gap - Focusing on His Autobiographical Essay Collections, 『Fascinated by the Island, Obsessed by the Film』and『It was I that was in the Island』–

This study examines the spatial meaning of Jeju Island which is projected in Photographer Kim Young-Gap’s autobiographical essay collections, Fascinated by the Island, Obsessed by the Film(1996) and It was I that was in the island(2004). Kim Young-Gap was born in Buyeo, Chungcheongnam-do in 1957 and settled in Jeju Island in 1985 after coming in and out of the island frequently from 1982. And 20 years later, on May 29, 2005, he ended his six-year struggle with Lou Gehrig’s disease and passed away in gallery Dumoak he had founded. Published in 1996, 10 years after entering the island, Fascinated by the Island, Obsessed by the Film is a book that contains the reason for entering the island and his early life in there. It was written as the intermediate examination over his Jeju life. Published in 2004, a year before his death, It was I that was in the island is a book written in anticipation of his own end. It can be said to be the last summary of his 20 years in Jeju. Jeju Island was more than a place for photography for Kim Young-Gap. Jeju Island served as various spaces for him until he established himself as the existence of ‘Dumoak’ that means Mt. Halla in his status as a stranger, not a native. This article considers the spatial meaning of Jeju Island for Kim Young-Gap in three aspects: ‘communication and healing’, ‘cutting connections and cultivation’, and ‘self-fulfilling prophecy and rest’.