Photographer Kijoo Bae opening at the APCC Jade Choe Gallery September 9th.

Exhibition: September 9 - September 19, 2025

APCC Jade Choe Gallery • 4851 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma, WA

Meet the artist: September 11, 4:00-6:00 PM

Abstraction in Architecture - A New Interpretation of Form and Space

Exhibition Overview

This exhibition invites viewers to see familiar architecture from a fresh and unexpected perspective. Rather than focusing on entire buildings, the artist highlights architectural fragments—deconstructing structures and reconstructing them within the frame through lines, planes, light, and shadow. Through this lens, audiences are transported from everyday spaces into the realm of abstraction.

Artistic Philosophy and Perspective

The artist’s work goes beyond mere representation, embracing a suspension of meaning and an accumulation of differences. As philosopher Jacques Derrida described in his concept of ‘différance,’ the architecture in these images escapes fixed function and definition, transforming into an open field of shifting meanings. Similarly, Gilles Deleuze’s notion of ‘becoming’ resonates throughout the works, where static structures dissolve into flowing sensations, inviting endless reinterpretations. The buildings may stand still, but their visual language flows, changing constantly with each viewer’s perception.

Artist’s Statement

“I do not photograph architecture merely to record it. Instead, I raise the question of what it could become.”

For the artist, architecture is not confined to its solid and functional nature. Rather, it is an opportunity to capture fleeting, undefined moments—the fragments of lines, shadows, rhythms, and textures. These photographs are not simple reproductions of architectural reality but reconstructions shaped by sensation and interpretation. They aim to capture the ‘feeling’ embedded within the spaces rather than their appearance.

Curator’s Statement

This marks the first artist hosted by the APCC Jade Choe Gallery. Through the lens of this Korean artist, the exhibition explores abstract interpretations of architecture by transforming points, lines, and planes into poetic visual rhythms. At a time when Korean culture, from K-pop to contemporary art, is gaining global attention, this exhibition offers audiences a unique opportunity to experience the subtle aesthetics of Korean architecture. Viewers are invited to encounter familiar structures as works of art, discovering new perspectives on space, form, and meaning.

Exhibition Information

• Title: Architecture of Abstraction, Becoming of Perception

• Venue: APCC Jade Choe Gallery

• Curator: Kellis Parlett

• Duration: September 9th – 19th, 2025

• Reception: September 11th, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

• Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Saturday, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

• Gallery Visit Contact: Kellis Parlett

  • Email: Kellis@asiapacificculturalcenter.org

  • Phone: 253-441-9377

Biography - Kijoo Bae

Born in Busan, Korea in 1950, I spent my early years there until high school before moving to Seoul for university. After graduating, I served as an ROTC Army officer and later joined Heavy Industries Company. From 1981 to 1985, I worked at the company’s branches in London and Düsseldorf. In 1993, I founded my own company for Logistics Automation Technology and managed it until my retirement in 2010.

I began photography in 2012 and furthered my studies at Chung-Ang University’s Photography Academy from 2015 to 2017. My first solo exhibition was held in 2019, followed by my second and third exhibitions in Seoul at two-year intervals. This year, I am honored to present my fourth and fifth solo exhibition—and my first overseas—at the APCC Gallery in Tacoma and Yuan Ru Gallery in Bellevue, USA.

Patsy, the founder and president of APCC, attended my first solo exhibition in late 2019 and suggested the possibility of an international exhibition. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, discussions were put on hold. When she visited Korea again last year, I submitted my portfolio, and I was officially invited to exhibit at APCC.

My work explores "Abstraction through Architecture." By closely capturing segments of modern architecture, I seek to emphasize simplicity and create abstract imagery through the interplay of points, lines, planes, and colors—the fundamental elements of form. My work consists of three series: monochrome, color, and post-production compositions.

I am deeply grateful to Patsy of APCC, Julie of Yuan Ru Gelley for offering me this invaluable opportunity and to all the visitors who have come to experience my art work.