Artist Statement
In 2014, I received orders from the U.S. Army to serve in South Korea for one year, and I took that opportunity to photograph and document life every chance I had. Being a foreigner gave me distinctive advantages in my photographic endeavor. My approach is unblemished by politics, language, and cultural context. I had no stereotypes or biases, and my photographic activities were possessed by a kind of naivety, wonder, and bliss. I took thousands of photographs, frozen imprints of time that have remained in the dark–until now.
Why did I have to wait so long? Even back then, I understood excitement will interfere and corrupt my aesthetic judgment. Some might say 9 or 10 years is too long of a wait to complete a body of work, but that is a drop in a bucket in the course of artistic history. Among other qualities, good art is distinguished by its power to resonate in the human spirit, long after its formation in the crucible of time. My hope is that these photographs resonate with you, whether you are a native of South Korea, or a 외국인 of this beautiful country through these images.
Hansel Ong | December 2024
외국인 (Foreigner)
외국인 (Foreigner), romanized: Oegugin. South Korea, 2014-2015.
See the Collection
Selected Images
Postscript
I am truly grateful to spend a year working and living in South Korea. I am very fond of the country and its people, and I long to go back. Perhaps, one day, I can continue adding to this collection. Thank you for viewing and being here. –Hansel Ong, December 2024.
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