Leisure opportunities are scarce in South Korea. A blend of factors, ranging from the swiftly advancing economy over the past four decades to extensive working hours, has made the enjoyment of free time increasingly difficult for the South Korean populace.
(Image credit: © Seunggu Kim)
(Image credit: © Seunggu Kim)
This transformation is acknowledged by photographer Seunggu Kim, who has captured the fast-moving lifestyle and the community’s hard-earned enjoyment amidst the obstacles in his new photographic work, Better Days. With many South Koreans utilizing merely half of their vacation allowance and opting to spend it at home due to the time limitations associated with travel, a growing culture of urban leisure spaces is emerging. In Kim’s photographs, communities unite at lakes, water parks, and fields of blossoms, discovering happiness in the ordinary.
(Image credit: © Seunggu Kim)
A graduate of Korea National University of Arts and Sangmyung University, Kim has meticulously observed the significance of tradition in Korean suburban existence through images that encompass climate, leisure, and urban life. ‘The individual leisure pursuits depicted in the photographs of Better Days are gathered around this foundation of ‘pragmatism’ and ‘community- oriented individualism,’ remarks Kim. ‘The Korean’ order of cohabitation’, the shared values that relate to and support one another, are deeply rooted in an extensive historical story. Ordinary leisure activities, selected by individuals, are compiled in a single square frame, expanded and arranged into numerous moments, resulting in complex relationships and coexistence.’
For editor, writer, and educator Simon Bainbrige, the writer of the Better Days text, Kim’s vistas are unique in their elevation of individuals and locations into architectural symbols. ‘In the intricate networks of paths and boundaries, we observe how we are influenced by our environment,’ he adds. ‘He draws our focus to the peripheries to showcase the mechanics of things. And in many of the photographs, the spectacle itself is either absent or secondary. At a cherry blossom festival in Gwangmyeong, we witness crowds converging from every direction toward a small amphitheatre. Yet, we are presented with a rear view of the stage facade and a cluster of service tents, the closest of which opens to reveal bored security personnel seated at a table, apathetic to the attention of everyone else.’
Seunggu Kim, Better Days, is published by Kehrer Verlag
(Image credit: © Seunggu Kim)
(Image credit: © Seunggu Kim)
(Image credit: © Seunggu Kim)
(Image credit: © Seunggu Kim)
(Image credit: © Seunggu Kim)