The Ilwoo Foundation, a public interest foundation under the Hanjin Group, announced on the 17th the recipients of the 12th Ilwoo Photography Award.
Established in 2009 to discover promising photographers with talent and passion, the Ilwoo Photography Award marks its 12th edition this year. Due to COVID-19, the judging for this year’s award was conducted in a non-face-to-face format.
The winners of the 12th Ilwoo Photography Award are Hyung-Geun Park (49) in the Publication category, Kim Shinwook (40) in the Exhibition category, and Sung Huyn Sohn (51) in the Documentary category.
In the Publication category, Hyung-Geun Park was selected for his series ‘Bleak Island’ and ‘Forbidden Forest,’ which portray the natural landscape of Jeju Island through the lens of the historical memory of the April 3 Incident, rendering it in dark and somber tones. His work was highly regarded for its poetic interpretation grounded in a careful perspective on history and human experience, as well as for the necessity of presenting his long-term Jeju project—spanning over a decade—through publication.
In the Exhibition category, Kim Shinwook was selected for the strong curatorial concept of his new work Korean Tiger. Having already demonstrated his artistic capabilities through works such as Airport City and ‘In Search of Nessie,’ Kim received favorable evaluations from the jury, who expressed anticipation for his distinctive storytelling approach in terms of subject matter, themes, and exhibition format, particularly through his use of research and archival materials from a cultural anthropological perspective.
In the Documentary category, Sung Huyn Sohn was selected for his long-standing documentary practice, which has, since the late 1990s, focused on individuals who were victimized by the turbulent course of modern and contemporary Korean history. From early works such as portraits of long-term unconverted prisoners to subjects including forced labor victims during the Japanese colonial period, his consistent engagement with “the history of life” was highly praised for embodying the key virtues of documentary practice: authenticity and continuity.
The jury for the 12th Ilwoo Photography Award included Chair Park Pyungjong (photography critic and research professor at the Institute for Humanities Content, Chung-Ang University), committee members Chun Kyungwoo (professor of photography, School of Performing Arts and Film, Chung-Ang University) and Park Jisun (director of the Ilwoo Foundation and Head of Art Basel Korea VIP), as well as international jurors such as Pirkko Siitari, director of the Helsinki Art Museum in Finland, and Jadwiga Charzynska, director of the Wozownia Contemporary Art Gallery in Poland.
Following in-depth interviews conducted on the 6th and 7th with 15 artists who passed the first round of screening, one final winner was selected in each category: Publication, Exhibition, and Documentary.
Each year, the Ilwoo Photography Award selects two to three passionate artists and supports them through production, exhibition, and publication, with the aim of fostering internationally competitive, world-class artists. With its substantial benefits for awardees, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious support programs in Korea.
