Come empty-handed, leave empty-handed

Last autumn, we produced a limited edition of 100 copies of echo , a photobook of used soap, in collaboration with the Korean photographer Koo Bohnchang. This exhibition presents a new body of work that follows that project: a series of photographs of “empty boxes.”

The images depict ordinary, unremarkable boxes—objects that could be found anywhere. Whatever once occupied them has completely disappeared, leaving behind only faint stains, dust, and a lingering sense of presence within. Long kept unpublished, these works quietly evoke both absence and the traces of what has been lost.

During the making of this series, a Zen phrase came repeatedly to the artist’s mind: Kūshu Rai, Kūshu Kyo —“to come empty-handed and to leave empty-handed.” This phrase reflects not only his approach to photography, but also his view of life itself. In this series, the “traces of time” that he has long pursued emerge with a particular clarity and intensity.

While photographing objects, the artist resists being bound by them. The objects themselves may no longer be what matters; rather, it is the traces they hold that draw his attention. From subjects imbued with intrinsic value—such as Joseon white porcelain or antique objects—to used soap, and now to empty boxes, this work marks a further point along that trajectory.

The book is titled Kūshu (“empty hands”). It is designed so that each page can stand on its own, allowing the viewer to encounter the images one by one—without holding them, and with nothing in hand.

Koo Bohnchang

Born in 1953 in Seoul, South Korea, Koo Bohnchang studied business administration at Yonsei University before moving to Germany, where he studied photography at the University of Fine Arts Hamburg. Since returning to Korea in 1985, he has been a leading figure in the Korean photography scene as both an artist and an exhibition curator. His simple, minimalist photographic language has established a distinctive presence within Korea’s contemporary art landscape.
In 2025, he became the first photographer to receive the Samsung Ho-Am Prize. His work gathers the subtle narratives embedded within objects such as white porcelain, masks, soap, and antique tools, focusing on the faint traces of time they hold.
His publications include White Vessel (Yido, 2015), Everyday Treasures (BONBOOK, 2023), echo (FRAGILE BOOKS, 2025), among many others.