KANG MINSU KOREA, 1969
Biography
Homo Luminescence
Kang Minsu
On a distant, primordial night, someone must have gazed endlessly at a burning branch. The crimson glow and warmth of the flame stirred both fear and wonder, warming the soul. From that moment on, fire became more than a natural phenomenon—it became human. It melted frozen hands, cooked the raw, and gave rise to civilization. Humanity built its world through fire, and fire has continually transformed our lives.
Yet fire also resides within us. We are beings that generate our own heat to sustain life. Our hearts beat to create warmth; our muscles contract and release to hold it. The human body is filled with countless small flames.
There is the fire we have created, and the fire we carry inside.
Seen through a particular lens, we appear as luminous beings. This work visualizes the relationship between human body heat, the fires of civilization, and the natural world. I seek to express the heat we emit, the artificial lights we've made, and the traces of fire that permeate pastoral nature—all through color. Even as we walk with embers inside us, countless cars and planes roar past, their engines burning fiercely like modern beasts.
Seen through a particular lens, we appear as luminous beings. This work visualizes the relationship between human body heat, the fires of civilization, and the natural world. I seek to express the heat we emit, the artificial lights we've made, and the traces of fire that permeate pastoral nature—all through color. Even as we walk with embers inside us, countless cars and planes roar past, their engines burning fiercely like modern beasts.
I want to see the world through temperature—through the subtle warmth of the human body, the cities that never cool, the nature touched by human hands yet still seeking its balance. Forests and oceans quietly cool themselves, syncing with the rhythm of life. Fire, humanity, and nature intertwine, forming a vast, living map of heat.
These images, recorded in color and form, are not mere landscapes. They are traces of our warmth left upon the Earth—the temperature of the future we are creating.
My work reflects both the constructive and destructive roles of fire. Fire has protected us, but also harmed. It built civilizations, but now warms the planet.
My work reflects both the constructive and destructive roles of fire. Fire has protected us, but also harmed. It built civilizations, but now warms the planet.
How hot is the world we are creating?
And how will we endure this heat?
And how will we endure this heat?
Works
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Divers 01, 2025 -
Homo Luminescence 01, 2025
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Homo Luminescence 02, 2025
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Homo Luminescence 03, 2025
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Homo Luminescence 04, 2025
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Diver 01, 2024
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