Recollections

"Recollections" is a photo essay reflecting on the moments and places that have shaped my journey of self-discovery. The photographs in this show offer a contemplative exploration of the fragments and layers that shape a landscape of dreams, losses, and memories.

This journey begins with my visit to Rajasthan, India in 1992. The timelessness and vastness of its desert expanded my perspective, allowing me to recognize my true passion for photography during such an uncertain point of my life. Since then, photography has become my creative medium for cultivating my voice through the lens.

In 2009, the loss of my mother to depression made me realize how fleeting and fragile life can be. The Cheonan Memorial Park in South Korea, where her final resting place is, became a sanctuary of peace and contemplation. My connection to the past has persisted through visits to cemeteries, where I wander the quiet paths and read the stones, curious about the departed lives.

The Korean Royal Palace “Gyeongbokgung” holds many cherished memories of my childhood, particularly those with friends and family. Once a place of joy and wonder, Gyeongbokgung is now a place for nostalgia and introspection, where I find myself revisiting these joyous memories as I walk along the palace walls today.

The show also incorporates images from two of my previous series —“Sound of Butterfly” and “Dreamscape” — that weave together the exhibition’s narratives by reflecting on my mother’s life and tracing through moments from my childhood.

“Recollections” has become a visual metaphor for my photographic journey and how it has deepened my understanding of the cycle of life and fading memories. The show invites the viewers to contemplate and reflect on their past, and to create narratives out of their own experiences and memories.

dreamscape I

dreamscape II

light and shadow I

light and shadow II

memorial park, frozen moment series

last touch: mother’s fingerprint, frozen moment series

last glimpse: mother’s ashes, frozen moment series

lights for the fallen

song of the butterfly: window series

over the horizon: window series

wonder: window series

family: window series

song of the bird: window series

east and west

self-portrait

once upon a time

RECOLLECTIONS features 21 images that reflect the landscape of memories, loss, and dreams through Ham’s photographic journey. Ham delves into moments and places that have defined her life and uses photographic imagery to reflect on their meaning. Ham’s photo essay goes beyond her self-discovery—her work invites viewers to contemplate the fragments and layers that have shaped their own stories too.