Taehoon Kim: Finding My Father at Yongpyong

×

Expand

Taehoon Kim, "Finding my Father at Yongpyong #7," 2019

As part of Capture Photography Festival, North Van Arts and North Vancouver District Public Library present: Finding My Father at Yongpyong, a series of works by Vancouver-based artist Taehoon Kim that capture a journey of personal and familial exploration through photography.

“From 1974 to 1993, my father, Kwahn W. Kim, worked as the chief architect of Yongpyong Ski Resort: one of the host sites of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

When it opened, Yongpyong was the first ski resort in South Korea, marking a turning point in history when everyday Koreans could afford leisure activities.

When my father retired, our family immigrated to Canada. Although I knew Yongpyong was one of his great accomplishments, he didn't talk about his work much, and I didn’t ask him about it either. He died in 2005 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. The hardest part of mourning was realizing I had barely known him.

When Pyeongchang was named host of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, I went to see the resort I had heard so much about growing up. I wanted to learn more about him by spending time in the place where he had poured his heart and soul.

I hope to capture his spirit, presence and legacy.”

Taehoon Kim

Taehoon Kim is a visual storyteller based in Vancouver, B.C. His documentary and journalism work, in stills and in film, has earned recognition from Diversify Photo, Photo District News (PDN) and News Photographers Association of Canada (NPAC). His images have appeared on The Wall Street Journal, The Globe and Mail, Buzzfeed News and others. Kim currently works as the visual media specialist at Capilano University in North Vancouver, B.C. His client work focuses on nonfiction visual stories that showcase the impact of education and non-profit institutions.