“Over the past few decades, South Korea has become a more competitive society, with the current times overlapping against its cultural and ethnic background. As a result, South Korea has the highest youth suicide rate among developed countries and the lowest birth rate in the world. Some young people jokingly refer to their country as ‘Hell Korea.’”

In "TFW Korea" Yang Seung-Woo portrays several young people from South Korea. Like Yang himself, they do not conform to the ideals imposed by South Korean society, either in the way they look, think, or what they want out of life. In a series of photographs and interview snippets, Yang captures and celebrates their unique approach to life. At the same time, his series questions the current state of South Korean society, where young people are suffocating under the weight of expectations and self-expression has become an act of courage.

“[I]f you don’t give up on life, someone might come along and support you, and they might tell you that you’re exactly what they need. If you think it wouldn’t be that easy, just tell yourself what you want to hear, and back yourself up with some unfounded confidence. I recommend this approach because it has always served me well.”
― both quotes from Yang Seung-Woo’s afterword

-Book Size
280 × 224 mm
-Pages
144 pages, 153 images
-Binding
Softcover
-Publication Year
2024
-Language
English, Korean
-ISBN
978-4-910244-34-1

Artist Profile

YANG Seung-Woo

Born in Korea, Seung-Woo Yang first came to Japan in 1996. After graduating from Nippon Photography Institute and the photography department of Tokyo Polytechnic University, he completed his graduate research in Media Art at Tokyo Polytechnic University and continued his career in Japan. In 2016, his publication “Shinjuku Lost Child” with Zen Foto Gallery, a monochrome street photography series which focused on the people at Kabukicho, Shinjuku received the 36th Domon Ken Award. He also released “End of the Line - Kotobukicho” with Zen Foto Gallery in 2017 and had his solo exhibition in inbetween gallery, Paris, expanding his activities internationally. His other publications so far include “You’re there and I’m here” (Shinpusha, 2006), “You’re there and I’m here 2” (Zen Foto Gallery, 2011), “The Best Days” (Zen Foto Gallery, 2012), “The Best Days” new edition (Zen Foto Gallery, 2019), "The Last Cabaret" (Zen Foto Gallery, 2020), "Yang-Taro Baka-Taro" (Zen Foto Gallery, 2021), "TEKIYA" (Zen Foto Gallery, 2022), "Baggage" (Zen Foto Gallery, 2023) and "TFW KOREA".

Gallery Exhibitions