Exhibition on View:
October 6th—October 28th, 2016
Queens Library
41-17 Main Street, Flushing
Queens, New York
Directions to this location
Young Jeong Sajin (The Funeral Portrait)addresses the exceptional South Korean cultural practice of preparing memorial portraits of the elderly while the individual is still alive. Photography studios specifically dedicated to funerary portraits can be found throughout South Korea and traveling photographers bring the service to the most remote areas. However, this service is difficult to find in NYC, especially for seniors who are not easily able to travel, may not speak fluent English, or have limited resources. The series of portraits crystallize the complex facial expressions of the over 200 Korean American seniors who have participated in Park’s portrait service, so far. Throughout 2016 Park will continue this project in collaboration with More Art, the Korean American Senior Citizens Society of Greater New York in Flushing, Queens, Korean-American Senior Citizens Association of New Jersey in Ridgefield, New Jersey—organizations providing critical social services to aging Korean Americans.