PRESS RELEASE
Near Hoegi station, a new winehouse opened its doors in 2021, with remarkable success. The owners are a couple of French and Kyrgyzstan nationals who gathered their knowledge of their native food to bring them together in this unique place, the Donum Solis. The name translates from Latin to “the Gift of the Sun”, a reference to wine during the Roman Empire. This exclusive space will be hosting Romain’s exhibition from December 5th to January 30th.
The photographic pieces exhibited are part of an ongoing series called “Pines on cliff”. The series portrays a duo of well-hidden pine trees growing on top of a cliff in all weathers and seasons. Their westward orientation allows for warm sunset light to showcase them uniquely. On a metaphorical level, those pines personify resilience. No matter how hard wind blows, how hot sun shines or cold winter is, they keep growing proudly on top of their rocky home.
The prints presented during this exhibition are limited editions. The main five frames are 1-meter high hand-brush-dyed pinewood frames, protecting a 90cm print on fine art paper. The accompanying frame is an acrylic floater panel, encased in brown pinewood of the same size. The framing material was thoughtfully selected to reflect the subject of the photographs. Meant to be collection pieces, they are all 1 of 5 prints only.
Romain was born in 1986, in a suburb of Paris, France. He remembers playing with his dad’s Minolta camera and trying to capture seagulls on the Atlantic coast as a child. Since those days, that thirst for looking at the world through a lens hasn’t been quenched. He was the luckiest child to have parents who showed him diverse and wondrous French landscapes. Those two things later became pillars of his life. For years now, Romain has spent his mornings and evenings looking for off-the-tracks hidden gems in the mountains around Seoul and beyond. Thanks to the endless number of trails and lush landscapes in Korea, he is constantly increasing the number of natural vistas his camera has captured. He now invites you to have a relaxing glass of wine and, while exploring his pictures, escape the city for a moment.
Contact info:
Donum Solis:
Seoul, Dongdaemun-Gu, Hoegi-ro 127, 2nd floor
서울시 동대문구 회기로 127, 2층
Facebook: Donum Solis Winehouse
Instagram: @donum.solis.winehouse
E-mail: donum.solis.bar@gmail.com
Phone: 010-4192-7477
Romain:
Facebook: Romainjohn
Instagram: @romainphoto_outside
Email: romain@romainphoto.com
Virtual Tour
In Anyang, Seoul suburb, a duo of proud pine trees towers over a tall cliff on the south face of Samseong Mountain.
These natural portraits are part of an ongoing series depicting them in all seasons and weather.
Reaching this place is a relatively easy effort though quite an intense one. It is all the more rewarding when considering that, on a clear day, you can see all the way to the Incheon sea.
What attracted me here was the perfect place the trees occupy in the composition and the rich texture of the cliff they stand on, covered with patches of contrasting colored lichen. Though the composition itself is fairly simple, it is quite powerful and lead the eyes toward the eyecatching details in the foreground.
Pines on Cliff, classic portrait
70x100cm - 27.5x39.3inch, printed on semi matte paper, brush-died black pinewood frame, limited edition of 5.
In this version I aimed at creating a classic portrait. Traditional portraiture techniques involve side/directional light to emphasize the subject’s features and a darker background to make the subject stand out. Of course I cannot choose my lighting as flexibly as in a studio but shooting later during sunset I managed to capture a darker background and get a gorgeous side light. Though this frame is born from a technical challenge, the result is a really unique natural portrait.
Pines on Cliff, autumn sunset
*Unreleased exclusive
70x100cm - 27.5x39.3inch, printed on semi matte paper, brush-died black pinewood frame, limited edition of 5.
Korean landscape is never as beautiful as during fall. However, pines don’t take part in that fiery transformation. So to emphasize the seasonal change I decided to capture the pair in the warm light of early sunset. The result is a atmospheric image that enhances the surrounding autumnal colors and creates an elegantly warm outline on the pines.
Pines on Cliff, in the clouds
*Unreleased exclusive
70x100cm - 27.5x39.3inch, printed on semi matte paper, brush-died black pinewood frame, limited edition of 5, only 3 left.
One of my favorite weather in the mountains is cloud and fog. However, getting the right amount for photography is really challenging. Add to that difficulty capturing the shape of clouds as they pass by and a mix of very well chosen timing, a tremendous amount of luck and a more than healthy dose of optimistic patience is mandatory. Those factors combined to create this dramatic image.
Pines on Cliff, snowfall
70x100cm - 27.5x39.3inch, printed on semi matte paper, brush-died black pinewood frame, limited edition of 5.
Snowfalls are before any over kind of weather my favorite one to shoot nature. The main reason for that is the peace snow bring down from the skies. It may be storming under the clouds, but in the snow clouds there is calm. The mist mutes the view to help focusing on the subject and the white layer on the ground smoothes out any sharp edge. It is quiet and otherworldly, still the same place but in a different, contemplative dimension.
Pines on Cliff, early spring
70x100cm - 27.5x39.3inch, printed on semi matte paper, brush-died black pinewood frame, limited edition of 5, only 4 left!
This version is from early spring. It may be hard to see on a small screen but, printed big, you can see spread-out patches of azaleas blooming on the rocks in the foreground and at the foot of the front pine. The color contrast between the warm light and the blue lichen adds a secondary dimension to this image. Let your eyes linger on the foreground and find all the small details that nature put on display for your pleasure.
Pines on Cliff, autumn view
68x100cm - 26.7x39.3inch, printed on semi matte paper, floater frame, brown pinewood frame, limited edition of 5, only 4 left!
This image is a complementary one for the others. It helps picturing the context of the pine duo. How lucky they are to grow with such a view! Watching the sunset glow over an ever changing landscape…
Thank you very much for your visit!
I hope you are enjoying my Pines on Cliff series, along with a delectable glass of wine and some cold cuts or cheese.
I just wanted to remind you that all the frame are limited editions and are on sale. Feel free to contact me (link at the bottom) or directly talk to the lovely Donum Solis owners for more information.
I hope to see you in a future exhibition.