This series was shot during my first visit to South Korea back in 2018. I was invited by Pinzle Magazine to spend some time in Seoul. The plan was to have a solo exhibition, to give a workshop and to have time to work on my photography. The goal was to publish a special issue of the magazine about me and my work. This was the first time I ever got such an invitation, so you can imagine the level of excitement I was going through.
When I received the invitation I spoke to my boss (I used to be marketing manager at a UX agency). I told him I was going to take one month off to go to Asia invited by a magazine. He told me what I should do is to follow my heart, put all the eggs in the photography basket and never come back to the office. I quit my job and never looked back.
So I arrived to Seoul without a plan B. I was (made) determinant to become a professional photographer or die trying.
The exhibition was a success and so was the workshop. I was having the time of my life in Seoul, and I was taking some of my best photos. Seoul is a vibrant city full of great modern architecture to photograph. But on day 11th of my trip, accidentally, my plans changed. I got a bit lost in the city and found myself in a school playground. I turned my lens towards the school entrance and fell in love with what I saw - the symmetry, the colors, the clock, the trees and an alphabet I couldn't understand. The moment I clicked that photo I immediately felt I needed to explore more schools to discover their aesthetics and figure out if that photo was the beginning of a series. From then on I put most of my time to that goal. I visited dozens of schools in Seoul and Busan and the result is 'Korean Schooling'. It was a moment to trust my gut and so I did. Luckily the magazine had given me full freedom for my time in Korea, and actually they liked these photos so much a few of them were included in the magazine.
This series helped me understand better the Korean culture. Actually, schools are a little reflection of our societies. From these photos you can understand many things about Korea. The symmetries, the colors, the abundance of national symbols, the love of sports and the predominance of football, none of that is casual.
This series helped me understand better the Korean culture. Actually, schools are a little reflection of our societies. From these photos you can understand many things about Korea. The symmetries, the colors, the abundance of national symbols, the love of sports and the predominance of football, none of that is casual.
