Koreans, S. Africans collaborate on photo exhibition
This photo is part of Lindsay Ryklief’s “Boys of Seoul” series which aims to diversify mainstream views of masculinity. / Courtesy of Lindsay Ryklief
By Celeste Kriel
Two Seoul-based photographers, Lindsay Ryklief and Yim Soo-min, come together this Saturday to explore the concept of capturing dreams in motion in a collaborative photo exhibition titled “Free Dreaming,” at Pistil, an underground music and art space in Itaewon, Seoul.
Yim, a Korean citizen, will showcase her unique street photography style which catches on film the beauty and magic of everyday people, objects and places around her hometown, Seoul, and other cities of the world.
Her partner on this project, South African-born expat Ryklief, better known by his underground DJ name Ligrye, will share a mixture of his film and digital photography shot in Korea, including his highly popular, “Boys of Seoul,” series.
Ryklief shoots film and digital. His series “Boys of Seoul,” an experimental project, celebrates forms of masculinity distinctive to Korea and Asia, which are often overlooked in international mainstream media.
“As the project progressed I became curious about the narrow way the rest of the world views masculinity and I’m hoping the models and I can re-imagine what masculinity means,” he said.
While he uses digital photography to construct an intimate, vulnerable space, a mood somewhere between reality and the surrealism of dreaming for this series, he also appreciates film photography and uses it to capture spontaneous moments with a more organic feel.
Yim on the other hand relies on the rawness of film and the spontaneity of street photography to showcase sublime moments hidden in the seemingly trivial. She travels most of the year, meets people on the street and listens to their stories.
Of her work she says every time she holds her breath to press the shutter, she feels most alive. “Through my photography I hope you will feel that breath of fresh air away from daily realities,” she said.
The opening reception is from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and the after-party runs until 4 a.m. Go to
for more information.