The weight of time held in a single bean, the memory of land that nurtures life. Korea’s native seeds, as photographed by Choi Suyon, are a record of that story.
Words & Photos Choi Suyon
The subjects pictured here are seeds of traditional crop varieties grown in Korea and passed down through generations. In my work, the boundary between physical lightness and psychological heaviness overlaps and blurs. I imagine that if time had weight, it might be something like the weight of a bean.
Seeds carry time forward, yet they are faint, dim, and hard to see. They are indistinct, ambiguous, and small. At least within the world we live in.
What are the things we have forgotten while a tiny life travels from the soil to the dinner table?
At times, I wanted to record their portraits in photographs. For me, the portrait of a person, a tool, or a bean all carry meaning.
And I hope this becomes an occasion to reflect once more on their existence.
Even a single bean or a spoonful of rice that slips unthinkingly into our mouths. Because that, too, is a small part of what gives meaning to our lives.
Choi Suyon is a photographer with a deep interest in the living things of this land, capturing in photographs his reflections on the origins of life. Starting with his first solo exhibition, “Rice Paddy,” he has gone on to create works such as “Flow,” “Ox,” “Wandering,” and “Carpenter.” “SEED” is a body of work that documents the lineage of more than 50 native Korean seed varieties. Last November, he selected 37 photographs of native seeds, each set in a frame by the photographer, for his solo exhibition “SEED — Portraits of Native Seeds” at Ryugaheon, a photography-focused gallery. In Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do, he runs Suyeon Mokseo, a cultural space where photography, architecture, and woodworking come together, and alongside his photographic work he designs and builds furniture.
