My Motherland
Joo, Myung Duck


“I want to preserve the unique traditions and characteristics of my country, aside from the contexts of modern civilization, abundance, and pollution. I want to pass down this beautiful land of rivers and mountains to my son, Jung-il. I simply want to share the prosperous motherland that we cherish deep down in our hearts, even if it is just through my photography.” _1981, Joo, Myung Duck

This book is a collection of photographs depicting Korea from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, taken by Joo, Myung Duck. As a photographer born on Korean soil, he observed and photographed its landscapes, households, and people of the land throughout his life. His photographs show us the old ways of living that no longer exist and the roots of these unique traditions that shaped our lives. This project began with a working title of “Heonsa[獻寫],” which carries the meaning of “dedicating my photographs to my motherland.” After 40 years, the book is presented with its new title —“My Motherland” covering a wider scope of the artist’s work than its  initial sequence.

The 101 images in this book were directly chosen and sequenced by the artist himself. The scenes in this book may be an unfamiliar and exotic landscape to those from a different region or a different generation, but threads of a universal commonality can be found in the endearing photos of everyday life. These photographs, which remind us of a simpler time when we used to be content with less at hand, are a precious legacy left by the father of this land for future generations.


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First Edition, 500 copies
2023
23 × 28.5 cm
184 pages
Softcover / Printed jacket  
ISBN 978-89-97605-97-2

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