(Scroll down)

"What Can't See" is an ongoing project that highlights the unique and diverse community of Bogwang-dong. This neighborhood, located next to the Han River, Hannam-Dong, and Itaewon, has been a melting pot of cultures, with South Koreans running sleepy corner shops alongside Arab, Turkish, and Pakistani restaurants and grocers. This diversity has attracted many young people, artists, and creatives, adding to the area's unique and eclectic atmosphere.

However, this community is facing displacement due to an impending redevelopment project estimated to cost 7 trillion Won (5.2 billion Euros). As a result, many of the residents who call Bogwang-dong home will be forced out of their homes, and their way of life will be erased.

Bogwang-dong's mixture of cultures is a rare sight in South Korea, a country that prides itself on homogeneity. Despite repeated recommendations from the UN, there is still no Anti-Discrimination Act in South Korea. Thus, the project aims to showcase a different side of Seoul that celebrates imperfections and diversity while challenging the notion of homogeneity and diversity on both human and urban landscape scales.  

Through this documentation, the project seeks to shed light on the effects of redevelopment, which often prioritizes economic development over social and cultural diversity. The images of Bogwang-dong are juxtaposed against the rapidly changing urban landscape of Seoul, representing a bleak prophecy of its inevitable future.

2021 - Ongoing

Features: BooooooomSafelight paper