KOREA FOUNDATION

One of the KF’s global activities for social contribution is a project of taking family portraits for people in Ethiopia, and Madagascar. Photographer Cho Jang-sok is the KF’s partner in this meaningful endeavor. Cho built a successful career in the 1990s as a commercial photographer specializing in fashion and advertisements, but felt unsatisfied with his work. He yearned to make use of his photography skills as a tool for spreading joy throughout the world. In this interview, he speaks about how his photos serve as heart- warming gifts for families in Africa.

You’ve photographed numerous families in Senegal and Rwanda in the past and now you’re doing a family photo project with the KF. What special meaning do you find in this work?

A few years ago, I went with a non-governmental organization to Africa, where I was able to photograph many families and then present the families with the photos. Family photos are a source of strength and of smiles. I wanted to do something meaningful to bring Korea and Africa closer through my photography skills. When I do projects like this, I have to give up making any money for three or four months out of the year. But I can make more people happy and spread warmth in many parts of the world, so I’m pleased to work with the KF. We began to discuss this project for the first time last summer and were busy making preparations for nearly a year. As the project is being carried out with the help of a lot of people and on the basis of such extensive groundwork, I hope we’ll garner good results. I also hope this won’t be a one-time affair but rather something that can be sustained and develop for a long time to come.

How did you begin photographing families in Africa? Were there any special moments or incidents that motivated you to put your ideas into action?

When I first landed in Africa, I decided not to take emotional, tear-jerking pictures. I didn’t want to add to the “poverty porn” stereotype of extreme images highlighting skinny children who drink dirty water intended to solicit donations.
   When I was taking pictures in Senegal, a friend named Arizuma helped me out throughout my stay. His mother had passed away when he was very young and he didn’t even remember her face. He said he was sad because he didn’t have any photos of her; if he had one, he said, he could look at her face from time to time. He told me that a considerable number of people in Africa didn’t have any family photos or photos of their deceased parents and suggested that if I took photos for those families, I could give them treasured, happy memories. I think his words gave me a moment of assurance.

Most of your photos show children and adults with bright smiles. What do you do to bring out such expressions? Is there a secret skill?

People in Africa share the same feelings in their daily lives as we all do. They’re happy, they laugh, they’re noisy with their families. I don’t pull out unusually bright smiles from their faces; their everyday facial expressions come out naturally in a comfortable atmosphere.
   If I have any sort of secret to share, I would say it’s taking pictures either in front of or inside a family’s house. When people feel tense and rigid, their expressions in a photograph aren’t as good. Home is the best environment for allowing people to relax because it’s where families spend much of their time—each day in every life begins and ends here. I take pictures at their homes with a sense of recording the history of small cosmoses.

You’ve photographed a lot of families so far. Do you remember how many? Is any particular family unforgettable to you?

I think I’ve taken pictures of about 2,000 families. I’ve visited more families than that, but quite a number of them were reluctant to be photographed and I had to come back empty-handed. Due to a variety of experiences and incidents, more than a few people have become suspicious of outsiders and take caution. Anyway, I’ve been able to photograph some 2,000 families and I’ve presented framed photos to about 70 or 80 percent of them. For those to whom I haven’t yet been able to send photos, I feel terribly sorry.
   So many of the families I meet are unforgettable. In these parts of Africa, there are many people who have lost their family members to disease or civil war. I took photos of a lot of grandparents with their grandchildren, and of children with single parents. In Ethiopia, I photographed the family of a senior citizen who had fought for us during the Korean War. As a member of the post-war generation who grew up in the land that he and his peers had fought a bloody war to protect, I felt proud that I could repay that sacrifice in some way by doing a little something.

In addition to the project of photographing African families, what other plans do you have? What are your ultimate goals and dreams as a photographer?

In the future, I want to take more pictures of former veterans of the Korean War in other countries and present the photos to them. I’m working on ways to conceptualize diverse ideas together with various institutions and enterprises. I would also love to photograph the members of families divided on the two halves of the Korean Peninsula, sending the photos of those in the South to their families in the North and vice versa. I believe that’s something a Korean photographer should do without fail, and my dream is to share the wonderful results of such work with the world.

Your taking pictures and presenting them to people around the world constitutes a form of public diplomacy. In this regard, do you have anything to say to the KF and its newsletter readers?

As we all know, Korea achieved remarkable development in a short span of time. We have become affluent materialistically, but we seem to have compromised our sense of gratitude and composure, growing more indifferent and guarded against others and outsiders. I hope we can become a little warmer towards foreign tourists, students, and workers. I also hope we’ll deepen our understanding about refugees and recognize them as equal individuals with whom we live together in this global village. I believe the KF and other institutions can help create such an atmosphere by conducting a variety of cultural and educational projects.

Interviewed by Kim Daniel