Ingo Baumgarten (Born in 1964, Hanover, Germany currently lives and works in Seoul, South Korea).

Since he began painting, the root of Baumgarten’s artistic practice has stemmed from his concerns relating

to experiences and memories of those living in urban society. Baumgarten’s perception of everyday life, culture

and societies reflect his interests in visual anthropology. As a result of his exposure to various international

societies and cultures, Baumgarten seeks to understand the socio-cultural qualities seemingly inherent

in the motives of private houses and architecture. For Baumgarten, the different styles of architecture

within a city do not comprise a fractured cityscape; rather they create an individual collective and culture.

Moreover, his observations contribute to his own consideration of those living inside the buildings and their

lifestyles.

Baumgarten’s paintings comment on the malleability of trends and styles in architecture over space and

time. Traditionally architectural developments in cities serve to demonstrate modernization. Baumgarten has

spent time observing Seoul’s urban environment. Through his paintings, the artist depicts the multiple styles

within Seoul’s cityscape. Concrete housing changed Korea’s traditional architectural style. Korea’s use of this

material was an attempt to replicate the idealized Western modern day house. However, despite their hope

to mirror the style of Western housing, ironically a European visitor to Korea would associate the concrete

houses as traditionally Korean.