Patrick Vierthaler

My work as a researcher in Korean contemporary history often takes me to the Korean peninsula. Over the last years, I have been able to visit Korea at least twice a year. Always with a full camera backpack and some extra days to go on photographic journeys in the country, I have enjoyed extensive stays in Seoul, visited nearby Icheon and Yeoju, or had the chance to discover the area around Suncheon and Boseong in South Jeolla Province.

 

Due to the nature of visiting Korea as a traveller, my flexibility regarding  weather, light and seasons is of course limited, and yet, exploring Korea and its colours and culture so different and yet so similar to Japan has always been a fruitful adventure in terms of photographic results.

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My personal highlights so far were: an autumn day at Gyeongbokgung, Seoul's largest Joseon dynasty palace, in October 2016, in which a deep blue sky reflected one of the pavillons almost symmetrically; and visiting the temples of Silleuk-sa (神勒寺) in Yeoju, as well as the two temples of Seonam-sa (仙巖寺) and Songgwang-sa (松廣寺) in Suncheon.