("in layers") is an ongoing body of work that examines the regeneration and redevelopment of London, where the city’s transformative history resonates with the urban landscapes of my motherland, South Korea. From its Roman era and the housing challenges of the 1930s to the unrealized utopian ideals of socialist architecture in the 1960s and 70s, and most recently, the sweeping capital-driven projects since the 2012 Olympics, London embodies a complex narrative of change and contradiction. As an outsider navigating this evolving landscape, I investigate themes of access, authority, utopian aspiration, and ownership. My practice employs processes of appropriation, repetition, physical layering, and deconstruction, utilising foundational materials shared by photography and architecture—blueprint, transparency film, grid paper, tape, wall filler, newspaper, and pencil. I come from a family deeply involved in urban redevelopment in post-war Korea. While I chose not to inherit the family business, venturing instead into advertising and later the arts, my work reflects an ongoing dialogue with this memory and history. Through techniques such as remapping and replanning, I layer my own photographs with archival imagery, property advertisements, and collages, only to dismantle them through décollage and demolition. This cyclical process mirrors my introspective exploration of identity and critique of contemporary capitalist society.

Look at the short film here