The theme of PhotoMonth 2026 was Unity and Community, and after being selected through the open call, I had the opportunity to present Encounters in London.
The selection was meaningful to me in several ways. Ten years earlier, I had studied in the UK and lived in Europe. At the time, I was there as a student, but eventually chose a different path from the one I had originally imagined and returned to Korea. Ten years later, I found myself sending my work back to the UK, this time as an artist.
During the exhibition, my work was also featured in The Guardian as part of its coverage of PhotoMonth 2026. Seeing Encounters introduced to a new audience through one of the UK’s major newspapers was an unexpected and welcome experience.
The work I exhibited was also sold during the exhibition, giving me another memorable milestone: my first international artwork sale.
Although Encounters was selected as a series, for this exhibition I chose to present a single image that most closely reflected the theme. I hope that one day I will have the opportunity to present the complete series in the UK.