Behind the dramatic economic development in South Korea in the recent decades, there is a tale of oppression, especially of the marginalized female laborers. The film invites us to consider the lives of working-class women in the textile industry in the 1960s as the context for the continued struggles of women today who labor as flight attendants, cashiers, and temporary workers. Factory Complex explores the changing nature of work as well as the enduring question of survival and sustainability as the camera winds its way to present day Cambodia where precarious labor conditions demand our attention.
Factory Complex was awarded the Silver Lion at the 56th Venice Biennale (2015).
This screening is organized and sponsored by University at Buffalo Department of Media Study and UB Art Galleries. IM Heung-soon will present an artist's talk in Media Study's PLASMA (Performances, Lectures, And Screenings of Media Artists) series on Monday February 24, 6:30pm. For more information, visit the UB Department of Media Study website.
Artist Bio: IM Heung-soon (born South Korea, 1969) is an artist and filmmaker based in Seoul and Jeju Island. Beginning with his early works that were inspired by his own working-class family, he has consistently explored the lives of marginalized people. His political yet emotionally charged works take up different visual mediums such as photography, installation, film, public art, and community-driven art. His feature films include Jeju Prayer (2012), Factory Complex (2014/2015), Ryeohaeng (2016), Reborn (2017), Exchange Diary (2015-2018, in collaboration with MOMOSE Aya), Things that Do Us Part (2019). His work has been exhibited at the 2015 Sharjah Biennale; MoMA PS1, New York; The National Art Center, Tokyo; Tate Modern, London; Lincoln Center, New York; Centre Pompidou, Paris; the 2016 Taipei Biennale; the 2017 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival; the 2017 Busan International Film Festival; HKW, Berlin; the 2018 Carnegie International, Pittsburgh.
IM and KIM Min-kyung are co‐founders of BANDAL Doc film production company.
