CNBLUE member holds photo exhibition for Myanmarese children
CNBLUE member Lee Jung-shin, right, and his photographer brother Lee Yong-shin pose at their photo exhibit titled “We blew away dandelion puffs” at Canon Gallery in Gangnam, Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of FNC Entertainment
Lee Jung-shin sees small sharing turning into big hope in Myanmar
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Lee Jung-shin, bassist of the rock band CNBLUE, cites photography as his outlet for coping with stress. Lee's work at his first photo exhibition “We blew away dandelion puffs” feels authentic, and his enthusiasm for it seems genuine, perhaps due to the subject of his photographs: children.
“We blew away dandelion puffs is a photo exhibition wishing every single child in the world a blooming dream like dandelions blooming anywhere,” Lee said. He added he was touched by the fact that white dandelion puffs pop out even in poor surroundings.
In February, Lee joined his brother Yong-shin, a photographer, and Seol-hyun of the girl band AOA for a vision trip to Myanmar led by LOVE FNC Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of AOA and CNBLUE's record label FNC Entertainment. The exhibition captures moments they experienced while visiting the fourth LOVE FNC School in Kalaw and YWAM daycare center in Yangon, Myanmar.
“I was overstressed around the time I arrived in Myanmar, but my worries and anxieties faded away when I looked at the children's smiles,” Lee said.
Being told the children work at factories or in cottage industries instead of going to school, Lee realized he could do more to bring hope to them.
So Lee, along with his photographer brother, took pictures of the children and the landscape of Myanmar on the side of their volunteering activities. “We wanted to capture the innocence and beauty of the children of Myanmar,” Lee said.
CNBLUE bassist Lee Jung-shin takes photographs of Myanmarese children in Myanmar in February. / Courtesy of FNC Entertainment
Lee revealed his passion for photography during the press event held at Canon Gallery in Gangnam, Seoul, Thursday. He said he has enjoyed photography since high school, and even wished to study it in college.
The framed photographs were positioned at lower than eye level, so exhibit-goers could concentrate on the photos. When asked why the photographs lacked any captions, Lee said “I want to leave it up to the viewers to imagine their own title for each photograph. If I assign titles and captions to photos, there would be no room for interpretation.”
Given that the photo exhibition is for public interest, the framed photographs, postcards and posters are for sale. The profits will be donated to fund a scholarship program in Myanmar.
As part of his talent donation, Lee has been donating his photographs to Big Issue, a charity magazine published to improve people's recognition of homeless people and support them financially.
“Since I'm not a professional photographer, I enjoy taking photographs for the common good,” Lee said.
The exhibit runs until June 10 at Canon Gallery. Admission is free.