The Project
I am an Australian based documentary photographer and am undertaking a project exploring the cultural relationship between Korea and Australia and the ways in which Korean migrants establish a sense of belonging in a new country.
My intentions are two-fold in that it tells a personal story but also a common one. I was raised in Australia by my Korean mother who migrated here after marrying my Australian father in the early 1970s. As a Korean-Australian, I have straddled two worlds, yet in many ways, belonged to neither. I am fascinated by this tension in identity and how the merging of two cultures can shape one’s experiences and perspectives of the world.
By re-tracing my mother’s move to Australia as a symbolic journey – one shared by many other Korean migrants – I hope to tell a broader story of migration where I will also document the Korean diaspora in Australia: how their lives have been affected as a result of relocation; how a sense of Korean community has been established and further, how personal relations in Australia – such as inter-marriage – have yielded a new or changed sense of identity. I am also exploring through a series of portraits, how Korean-Australians (such as myself) continue to negotiate their heritage and affiliation to two very different cultures.
Photographs from my mother’s family album.
As a photographer, I am interested in the way migrant communities adapt to new environments, particularly in western cultures and much of my work explores themes of identity, belonging and community set often in the context of the Australian suburbs.
I strongly believe that photography can be used as a social tool to inform, educate and inspire audiences about the lives of others. With this in mind, I am undertaking a 4-year project, traveling regularly within Australia as well as to Korea to photograph and interview both Australians and Koreans who have in different ways and for different reasons found themselves sharing aspects of one another’s cultures.
Planned outcomes are a book publication and a travelling exhibition.
To view more of my work, please visit my WEBSITE or take a look at some works-in-progress on the GALLERY page.
To support to this project and help me achieve my goals, please go to the CONTRIBUTE page.
