Umma

New beginning requires an ending because they are connected as one. I see a life as a circle, just like spring comes through winter.

“Umma”, Korean for “Mom,” is a series of photographs witnessing a dramatic family event, my grandmother's passing. When I was in Korea photographing in the winter, I was taking intimate domestic pictures of my family in their daily lives. Then I went to a small village where my father was from and was photographing the rural life there when I got word that my grandmother had had a stroke. She was in a coma for three weeks, and at the end of the third week, she died. She is my mother's mother, and during the funeral and its anticipation and aftermath, I was particularly aware of my mother's grief and emotion. I felt her deep sorrow and fear. And I photographed the sense of loss. The work that I had already been doing about her daily routine prepared us both for my role as a photographer during this momentous time.

Past year, around the world, many people have been in grief for loss of their family members. I am deeply sorry and I wish my work comforts them as all souls are in a new journey of life.

Latest Projects

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Stay in the loop


We will send you weekly news on contemporary photography. You can change your mind at any time. We will treat your data with respect. For more information please visit our privacy policy. By ticking here, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with them. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.