@article{ART003312587},
author={Namsee Kim},
title={Photographic Indeterminacy and the Power of Photography: Focusing on Siegfried Kracauer’s Theory of Photography},
journal={The Journal of Aesthetics and Science of Art},
issn={1229-0246},
year={2026},
volume={77},
pages={132-150}
TY - JOUR
AU - Namsee Kim
TI - Photographic Indeterminacy and the Power of Photography: Focusing on Siegfried Kracauer’s Theory of Photography
JO - The Journal of Aesthetics and Science of Art
PY - 2026
VL - 77
IS - null
PB - 한국미학예술학회
SP - 132
EP - 150
SN - 1229-0246
AB - This paper reconstructs Siegfried Kracauer’s concept of “photographic indeterminacy” to explore the medium’s ontological power, focusing on the contemporary works of Hong Jin-Hwon. According to Kracauer, photography is fundamentally indeterminate; rather than conveying a fixed narrative or the photographer’s totality of intent, it captures the accidental residues of physical reality. This study argues that this indeterminacy is not a deficiency but a unique capacity to alienate reality from established ideologies. By analyzing Hong’s Random Forest 2025, the paper illustrates how photography functions as a “counter-history” that reveals the provisional nature of existing orders by presenting reality as fragmented and contingent. Furthermore, extending Kracauer’s theory to the digital age, the paper contends that digital and generative images maintain a discontinuous relationship with reality and create a “photographic space-time” that allows viewers to encounter the concrete material world anew. Ultimately, the study concludes that the power of photography to “redeem physical reality” lies precisely in its resistance to totalization and its inherent indeterminacy, which invites viewers to imagine alternative configurations of the world.
KW - Digital Image;Hong Jin-Hwon;Photographic Indeterminacy;Physical Reality;Siegfried Kracauer
DO -
UR -
ER -
Namsee Kim. (2026). Photographic Indeterminacy and the Power of Photography: Focusing on Siegfried Kracauer’s Theory of Photography. The Journal of Aesthetics and Science of Art, 77, 132-150.
Namsee Kim. 2026, "Photographic Indeterminacy and the Power of Photography: Focusing on Siegfried Kracauer’s Theory of Photography", The Journal of Aesthetics and Science of Art, vol.77, pp.132-150.
Namsee Kim "Photographic Indeterminacy and the Power of Photography: Focusing on Siegfried Kracauer’s Theory of Photography" The Journal of Aesthetics and Science of Art 77 pp.132-150 (2026) : 132.
Namsee Kim. Photographic Indeterminacy and the Power of Photography: Focusing on Siegfried Kracauer’s Theory of Photography. 2026; 77 132-150.
Namsee Kim. "Photographic Indeterminacy and the Power of Photography: Focusing on Siegfried Kracauer’s Theory of Photography" The Journal of Aesthetics and Science of Art 77(2026) : 132-150.
Namsee Kim. Photographic Indeterminacy and the Power of Photography: Focusing on Siegfried Kracauer’s Theory of Photography. The Journal of Aesthetics and Science of Art, 77, 132-150.
Namsee Kim. Photographic Indeterminacy and the Power of Photography: Focusing on Siegfried Kracauer’s Theory of Photography. The Journal of Aesthetics and Science of Art. 2026; 77 132-150.
Namsee Kim. Photographic Indeterminacy and the Power of Photography: Focusing on Siegfried Kracauer’s Theory of Photography. 2026; 77 132-150.
Namsee Kim. "Photographic Indeterminacy and the Power of Photography: Focusing on Siegfried Kracauer’s Theory of Photography" The Journal of Aesthetics and Science of Art 77(2026) : 132-150.
