Family, Unavoidable by Vostok Press (discontinued/arreté. seul distributeur hors

exclusive distributor outside of South Korea

discontinued / arrêté

Isn’t family the name we give to those who draw us toward one another with a heavy, inescapable pull—people we are bound to love and hate all at once? A relationship in which there is so much left unsaid, one that is deeply missed when apart yet can feel quietly painful when together. VOSTOK Magazine Issue 13, “Family, Unavoidable,” gathers the stories and emotions that are passed between family members—or left unspoken.

Today, family does not necessarily mean a bond defined by blood. From the presence of a companion animal that stays by one’s side through solitary laughter and tears, to the smile of a beloved infant, to the lingering shadow of parents who have turned away from the world, this issue presents the work of eleven photographers from Korea and abroad who depict new forms of family with both warmth and cool restraint.

Alongside the photographs, the feature is enriched by a photo-essay by photographer Okto Lee, an essay on companion animals by singer-songwriter Lang Lee, and a short story by poet Kim Seon-jae, forming a powerful and distinctive constellation of texts and images. Beyond the special feature, the issue also includes an in-depth conversation with Lee Kyung-min, curator of the exhibition Frames After Frames, which examined Korean photography of the 1990s through extensive archival research, as well as ongoing series by film critic Yoo Un-seong and visual culture scholar Yoon Won-hwa—offering readers a carefully considered and resonant body of writing.

VOSTOK PRESS is an independent publishing house based in Seoul. Korea. It publishes a bimonthly photography magazine, VOSTOK, and books on arts and photography. VOSTOK PRESS organizes exhibitions and events, directs lectures and workshops. It also carries out projects for institutions and private companies.

Family, Unavoidable, Vostok Press. South Korea, January 2019.