No More Children in My Motherland by IAMHAY
By (author): IAMHAY
Title: No More Children in My Motherland
Subtitle: low birth rate in South Korea
Blurb:
The book No More Children in My Motherland addresses the concerning disappearance of children in South Korea, amidst declining birth rates and societal challenges.
[from the author's statement]
In my country, South Korea, a pressing crisis is unfolding: the disappearance of children. The elementary school I attended is now on the brink of closure due to a drastic decline in student enrollment, which has halved since my time there. Our birth rate is falling more rapidly than in other OECD countries, making it a critical issue. It's alarming how our government and society are not addressing this problem with the urgency it deserves. Amid rampant inflation, soaring housing prices, and increasing marital breakdowns, this issue only becomes more dire.
Walking through the streets, I encounter numerous playgrounds, mere minutes apart, in my city near Seoul. Yet, these spaces are eerily void of children. This stark reality inspired my project, No More Children in My Motherland. Capturing images of deserted playgrounds was hauntingly effortless; devoid of their intended users, these vibrant structures stood like functionless sculptures. What were once symbols of hope have become visual representations of a dystopian reality, a sorrowful landscape alarmingly close to my reality.
The creative process of this project mirrored a game of hide-and-seek: myself, the photographer, in search of the elusive subjects - the children. This quest began at a playground just 200 feet from my home and expanded to an 18-mile journey to an abandoned amusement park, closed due to financial struggles. Over the course of several months, from late summer to winter and through 25 rolls of film, encounters with children were a rarity. If no effective solutions are implemented, South Korea faces a risk of fading into obscurity. My project represents a personal crusade to report on and halt this impending disaster.
[award]
This project won as finalist at Issue Reporting Picture Story category in POY (Pictures of the Year) Asia.
[website]
iamhay.online/No-More-Children-in-My-Motherland
(You can see the high-res photographs on the artist's website.)
ISBN: 978-87-7620-462-4
Book language: English
Publishing house: Snap Collective
Website: www.snap-collective.com
Editorial Assistant: Valentina Furtuna
Designer: Tea Jagodic
Published on: in production
Category: Art
Price (€): 269
Keywords: iamhay, photography, photojournalism, playground landscape, film photography, medium format, fine art, fine art photography, South Korea, Asia, East Asia