Iho Tewoo Photography Exhibition by Kwon Choul
Jeju University Museum Gallery
Friday, May 22 to Thursday, May 28
10am-5pm

Opening concert and talk event
1-3pm on Saturday, May 23
Meet the author and Jeju haenyeo
Music performances by local artists

The “Iho Tewoo” Photography Exhibition by Kwon Choul will have its opening event on Saturday, May 23 at Jeju National University. There will be a music show at 1pm dedicated to the subjects of the exhibition, the haenyeo of Iho Tewoo. Following the performance at 2pm, Kwon Choul will give a presentation on his life’s work and discuss his time at Iho Tewoo with the women divers.

Korea-born, renowned photojournalist Kwon Choul gained international recognition during his time in Japan, photographing a slew of extraordinary subjects, from the Japanese underground of the Yakuza to the dynamic characters of a leprosy colony. Now he turns his eye toward the haenyeo of Iho Tewoo as the women divers and their culture are considered for UNESCO World Heritage status.

Kwon goes against the stream of commonly idealized shots of the haenyeo, and strives to portray the reality of a group of women who are often treated as anachronistic subjects of a museum exhibit. His shots prove that the haenyeo are very much still at it despite the explosion of city development and tourism around them. His shots reveal their accepting awareness of the changing times and their celebration of their work and community.

Visit the event’s Facebook page here for more details. You can also visit Kwon’s websites for a view of some of his work here and here.