2000년대 중반을 기점으로 본격적으로 아파트와 관련된 작업을 시작하여 한국의 도시 건축에 깃든 전형적인 서사를 해체하고 재구성하는 사진 작업을 전개하였다. 철거 위기의 낡은 아파트들을 정면으로 담은 <Apartment>(2005~2006), 신도시의 아파트 건설 현장의 미완의 공간의 기묘함을 포착한 <Construction Site>(2008~2012), 철거 공사가 진행 중인 아파트에 들어가 빨간 페인트를 칠한 <Demolition Site>(2013), 철거가 진행되며 외부로 드러나는 “빨간방”을 담은 <Reconstruction Site>(2015), 그리고 마감이 마무리되기 직전인 상태의 벽면을 담은 <Construct>(2017), 근대건축물의 복원 과정을 담은<Reconstruct>(2020)을 통해 도시공간과 건축물의 변천이 빚어내는 풍경을 지속적으로 담아오고 있다. 건축공간을 구성하는 건축자재나 건축폐기물 등의 물질을 재맥락화하는 과정을 통해서 도시건축의 전형적인 서사를 해체하고 재구성 하는 사진 작업을 전개하고 있다.
개인전 “Reconstruct”(송은아트스페이스, 2021), “CONSTRUCT”(KT&G 상상마당, 2018), “Reconstruction Site”(스페이스 오뉴월, 2016), “Demolition Site”(KT&G 상상마당, 2014), “Construction Site”(송은아트큐브, 2013) 등을 개최했으며, “하늘땅 사람들”(서울시립미술관, 2018), “서울新아리랑: 천리의 강물처럼”(서울시립 북서울미술관, 2016), “Intro”(국립현대미술관, 2015), “Site & Place”(두산갤러리 뉴욕, 2014) 등 다양한 단체전에 참여했다. <제36회 중앙미술대전>, <제5회 대구사진비엔날레 포트폴리오리뷰 우수포트폴리오>, <제 6회 KT&G 상상마당 SKOPF 올해의 최종 작가>, <제14회 사진비평상>을 수상했다.
여러 문화 재단과 기관, 건설사와 미술관의 협업으로 도시재생, 건축에 대한 이슈를 장기적인 프로젝트로 진행 중에 있다. “서울시립미술관: 서울시립 사진미술관 내외부 건립 기록화 콘텐츠 제작“(2022~2024), “부산시립미술관: 기관기록 건축컬렉션”, “송은문화재단: 송은 신사옥 도큐멘테이션 커미션”(2019~2021), “아모레퍼시픽미술관: 용산 신사옥 도큐멘테이션 커미션”(2017~2018), “김중업건축박물관”, “서울특별시 미술관 협의회”, “KT&G 상상마당”, “인천문화재단” 등의 기관과 다양한 프로젝트를 진행했다. “영은미술관 창작스튜디오”(2025), “갤러리 퍼플 스튜디오“(2021), “송은문화재단 송은아티스트 스튜디오”(2020), 경기창작센터”(2018), “국립현대미술관 고양레지던시”(2015), “도쿄원더사이트 레지던시”(2015), “인천아트플랫폼”(2014)의 입주작가로 활동했다.
Born in Seoul in 1983, Jihyun Jung earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in photography at Chung-Ang University, where he went on to complete a doctoral program. He is interested in city spaces and the ways in which they change due to the creation, destruction, and development of architectural structures. His work involves venturing into New City construction sites (inaccessible to the public) and demolition zones for redevelopment projects to explore the changing city spaces, involving himself directly in the situations he encounters and leaving behind traces of his presence, which he records in photographs as they undergo changes.
His apartment-based works began in earnest around the mid-’00s, as he attempted photography that deconstructed and reconstructed the typical narratives present within Korea’s urban architecture. He has continued to capture the landscapes wrought by transformations in city spaces and architecture: directly photographing old apartments threatened with demolition in Apartment (2005–2006), capturing the peculiarities of incomplete spaces in New City apartment construction sites in Construction Site (2008–2012), entering apartments awaiting demolition and painting their interiors red in Demolition Site (2013), filming the externally visible “red rooms” during demolition in Reconstruction Site (2015), showing walls just before the application of finishing in Construct(2017), and documenting the process of a modern building’s restoration in Reconstruct (2020). In his photographic work, he deconstructs and reconstructs typical narratives of urban architecture through a process of recontextualizing matter, including the component materials of architectural spaces and waste materials from construction.
In addition to his solo exhibitions Reconstruct (SongEun Art Space, 2021), Construct (KT&G Sangsangmadangand, 2018), Reconstruction Site (SPACEONEWWALL, 2016), Demolition Site (KT&G Sangsangmadang, 2014), Construction Site (SongEun ArtCube, 2013) he has also taken part in group exhibitions such as Heaven, Earth & Man (Seoul Museum of Art, 2018), Seoul New 新 Arirang , (Buk-Seoul Museum of Art, 2016), Intro (National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, 2015), Site & Place (Doosan Gallery New York, 2014). He was awarded the 36th JoongAng Fine Arts Prize, The 6th KT&G Sangsangmadang Korean Photographer’s Fellowship- Final artist of the Year, The 5th Daegu International Photo Biennale-The top four portfolio award recipient, The 14th SAJINBIPYONG Award.
He continues to explore issues related to urban renewal and architecture as a long-term project in conjunction with various cultural foundations and other institutions, as well as construction companies and art museums. He has pursued various projects in cooperation with institutions, including “SEOUL MUSEUM OF ART: Photography Seoul Museum of Art Building Documentation“(2022~2024), “BUSAN MUSEUM OF ART: BUSAN MUSEUM OF ART novation Documentation”(2024~2026), “Songeun: New Songeun Culture Foundation Building Documentation” (2019–2021) and “Amorepacific Museum of Art: New Yongsan Building Documentation”(2017–2018). He was a resident artist at the Youngeun Artists Studio(2025), Gallery Purple Studio (2021), SongEun Artists Studio (2020), Gyeonggi Creation Center (2018), National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Goyang Art Studio, (2015), Tokyo Wonder Site Creator in Residence (2015), Incheon Art Platform Artist Residency (2014)