Huyng S. Kim

Hyung S. Kim is South Korean born photographer who lives in Seoul and works on various projects. Hyung S. started Haenyeo series from 2013, and since then, his photographs were recognized by numerous museums, galleries, and media.

His Photographs captures the spirit of these amazing women, who works hard everyday staying in the Ocean for hours. these women are wet, and tired after the labors with their diving tools. They are old with weathered face and hunched back but their eyes are shiny. Hyung S. Captures all these details with his camera and simple white backdrop.

Hyung S. Kim's Haenyeo series has been exhibited worldwide, including National Maritime Museum, Greenwich London, UK, Yerba Buena Center for Arts, San Francisco, US, Sjofartsmuseet, Goteborg, SWEDEN and Korean Cultural Centers in Beijing, China, Otawa, Canada, New York, US.

Haenyeo: sea Women

Haenyeo is a name for female divers from South Korea. Mostly from Jeju Island, now spreading all over the coastal areas, Haenyeo are a name for only female divers- Hae (Ocean) Nyeo (Women) who were to take care of the family while men traveled out to mainland. Haenyeo dives to harvest various seafood(Abalone, clams, conch and even octapus) without any breathing apparatus. Haenyeo dives about 5-7 hours a day holding their breath u to 3 minutes. They do not use any contemporary diving gears because they believe in taking only what Ocean allows them. This act has been recognized as eco-feminism and environmental

Haenyeo has been recognized for Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage on 2016.

SunHee Hwang

When I first started this work my thoughts on life were distant from how Steve Jay Gould describes as wonders.  In fact, I questioned whether life is such a wonder or just an accidental byproduct of right amount of carbon, water and nutrition at a right timing.  My work started off as a doubt more than a wonder.  This led to close observations of various plants and flowers and soon my work space turned into a small garden of many species. I respect scientists and their methods of studying.  So I observed, recorded and analyzed like a scientist.  The surprises came soon after. I felt more liveliness and beauty in some dead and dry plants than when they were actually alive.  It was fascinating to me the unaccustomed beauty resonating from the ambiguity of death and life.  Of course when some plants and flowers died they rotted  and they stank and simply disappeared.  Every plant has its own process of ending its life.  We all do.  Everyday I observe a minute universe set up in my work space.  Only then I realized annihilation and watching one process to annihilation are true wonders of life. - Sun Hee Hwang, 2017

In Oh Wonder series, SunHee Hwang creates what it seem to be a common flower picture, a pretty flower on a white background. But when get closer to the work, you find that these flowers are not a fresh flower you normally see. They are wittered and dying in between state of rotting or becoming a dry-flower with unusual colors and shapes. As Sun Hee states, “ It was fascinating to me the unaccustomed beauty resonating from the ambiguity of death and life.” while he studies the flowers in scientific perspective with analyzing the process, capturing that perfect moment of “Natural Beauty”.

Sun Hee is Korean born photographer, working on various subjects.