We take a deep dive into some of the leading South Korean photographers. From new emerging photographers to more established artists, this is our pick for 2021.
South Korean photographers
Rala Choi
One can’t write about South Korean photographers without including Rala Choi, a film photographer from Seoul, Korea. Preferring analogue to digital he creates rich saturated photographs that at times look and feel more like paintings. His photography is minimalistic, rich and thoughtful.
Choi has a broad mix of commercial clients; this can sometimes lead to a disjointed vision; however, for Choi, he has created a lovely balance between his personal and commercial work.
Hasisi Park
Hasisi Park is another South Korean analogue photographer. Much of her personal work centres around her family and home life. She was a film student in London when she fell in love with photography. Now living in South Korea, she splits her practice between her personal work, commercial work, and film making.
Ji Yeo
New York-based Ji Yeo is best known for her work focusing on ideas of beauty in contemporary culture. Her series ‘The Beauty Recovering Room’ deals with young women recovering from beauty-enhancing surgery.
The photographer herself once considered going under the knife but instead decided to document these young women. “The reason I started this project because I had my ownself-esteem issues. In high school, my only goal was to become pretty.”, she said.
Her series ‘Somewhere on the Path I See You’, is an incredibly intimate body of work concentrating on women with eating disorders and anxieties.
She continues to exhibit her work internationally and work on new projects.
Kim Haru
Another new wave Asian photographer. From the legions of new photographers desperate to make it with a film camera and on-camera flash. Kim Haru captures something more interesting than most street scenes, young urban Korean fashion brands and nightlife.
This aesthetic captures the look and feel of 2020, it might not be timeless, but new fashion brands love it.
Hein Kuhn Oh
Hein Kuhn Oh was Born in 1963, he began his work as a street photographer, centering around groups of Korean people, subsets of Korean culture. His career began after graduating from Ohio University.
He shoots in both colour and black and white depending on the project. His work very much focussed on the person or set of people.
Hein-Kuhn Oh has published five monographs from 1999 to 2011. He has also participated in several group exhibitions and solo shows in that time.
He splits his work between personal and commercial and has in fact shot many album covers for various Korean bands and solo artists.
Hein Kuhn Oh currently works as an associate professor at Kaywon School of Art and Design. Is represented by Kukje Gallery in Seoul.
This article has been a comprehensive introduction to some of the most important South Korean photographers. We hope you have found the information engaging and informative, and we encourage you to join our mailing list for future posts about photography from around Asia. Stay engaged by subscribing below to our newsletter below.
You might also like our guide to Japanese Photo books.