Yeondoo Jung's Wonderland: 17 Photographs Recreate Children's Drawings Across Seoul
In 2004, Yeondoo Jung, a South Korean artist, finalized his photographic series titled Wonderland, which featured 1,200 drawings created by children aged five to seven. From these, he chose 17 to transform into large-format photographs. To achieve theatrical visuals, Jung collaborated with teenage models and various designers in Seoul, utilizing a 4×5-inch film camera over a span of four months. Costumes were designed to correspond with a 12-color crayon palette. Among the notable pieces are a Cinderella drawing with a 'Kingdom' sign and Rich and Poor, which addresses socioeconomic issues in Seoul. Two decades later, the series is receiving renewed interest, juxtaposing Jung's traditional techniques with AI-generated art. Wonderland is deemed his lightest work, featuring titles like Afternoon Nap, Little Red Riding Hood, and Sleeping Beauty.
Key facts
- Yeondoo Jung collected 1,200 drawings from children aged five to seven and selected 17 to recreate as large-format photographs.
- The Wonderland series was produced in 2004 using a 4×5-inch large-format film camera, despite digital photography being available.
- Jung worked with teenage models, fashion designers, prop designers, makeup artists, and locations across Seoul.
- A trampoline was used to capture models floating in mid-air, recreating a drawing where gravity is ignored.
- Costumes were matched to a 12-color crayon set, with fabrics sourced from Seoul's Dongdaemun fabric market.
- In one drawing, a palace carries a 'Kingdom' sign, which Jung links to signage children see around Seoul.
- The series includes Rich and Poor, which Jung connects to Seoul's housing inequality, where wealthy residents live in high-rise apartments and poorer communities occupy redevelopment zones.
- Jung attributes renewed attention to the series to the immense physical effort and inconvenient methods used, especially as AI can now generate similar images from text.
Entities
Artists
- Yeondoo Jung
Institutions
- designboom
- SolidNature
Locations
- Seoul
- South Korea
- Dongdaemun