I’ve got a print of this photo on display at @artcafebrooklyn in @nycphotostroll ’s inaugural group exhibition. The theme of the show is community, and this photo speaks to that idea through its disruption.
Taken back in Korea around ’09, my friend @my_name_is_hj and I were wandering around photographing the Wangsimni neighborhood of Seoul and came across an eerie ghost town littered with household debris and what appeared to be vandalized buildings. My understanding is that this was the result of forced evictions that took place during one of the Seoul city government’s ‘New Town’ redevelopment projects. Critics point out that, in effect, low income renter communities and small businesses were displaced to make way for middle class high rise condos. All that was left when we explored the area was a disturbing stillness in the middle of such a densely populated city, and angry graffiti on the walls silently shouting at the police and developers responsible.
