Between documentary and art,
capturing human time with light.
Hakbong Kwon has documented the human condition and social landscapes through photography.
Blending the sharpness of documentary with the sensitivity of art, his work invites viewers to confront a deeper truth of life.
Hakbong Kwon is a visual artist working between Korea and Thailand, exploring the human condition and social issues through both documentary and fine art photography.
His work spans photography, education, and publishing, serving as a visual bridge in the cultural exchange between the two countries.
Hakbong Kwon is a photographer from Sangju, Gyeongbuk, South Korea. He studied Visual Design at Dankook University in Seoul and began his career as a designer at Hanwha General Chemical (now Hyundai L&C). He later shifted his focus to photography and received the Onbit Photography Award in 2014. In 2018, his work WORSHIP was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Fine Art Abstract category at the International Photography Awards (IPA). In 2025, his project The Independence Movement: Layered Gazes won Gold in the Fine Art category at PX3 (Prix de la Photographie Paris), received an Honorable Mention in the Conceptual category at the Monovisions Photography Awards (UK), and was selected as an Official Selection in the Fine Art – Other category at the IPA (USA).
He completed his MFA in Visual Art at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University, Thailand, in July 2025. Since 2017, he has been based in Lampang, Thailand, continuing his photographic work. In 2019, he launched PhapthaySajin, a Korea–Thailand photo exchange project, and has served as its director.
He has published several books on photography and photographic techniques and shares educational content through his YouTube channel. He has also lectured at Youngnam College of Science and Technology and other universities. His work has been exhibited and published both in Korea and abroad.
CV
Education and Work Experience
1996.03~2003.02 Bachelor of Visual Design, Dankook University (Hannam-dong, Seoul)
2020.08~2025.07 Master of Fine Arts (Visual Arts), Faculty of Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University (Chiang Mai, Thailand)
2003.07~2006.12 Graphic Designer, Hanwha Design Center (Seoul, Janggyo-dong)
2010~ Contributing Photographer, Alamy (UK)
2011~ Contributing Photographer, Getty Images (USA)
2015.05 Launched ‘Strobist Korea’, a photography community site
2018.06 Curator, EBS World Theme Travel ‘Golden Triangle, More Beautiful Than Gold’, Parts 1-4
2019.11 Instructor, UNESCO International Photography Education Program, ‘17th EIU Photo Class’, Chiang Mai, Thailand
2024.02 Guest Lecturer, “Understanding Photography,” Visual Imaging Design Dept., Yeungnam University College
Awards
2012 Snowden Photography Contest – Choice Award, Australia
2014.05 Nomad People, Solo Exhibition, Café Madagascar (Dream Factory + Hankyoreh Newspaper Contest), Seoul, Korea
2014.11 Onbit Documentary – Selected for Onbit Award (Top 11), Korea
2018.11 Onbit Award – Rohingya Refugee Camp, One Year Later, Korea
2023.09 IPA Honorable Mention, Fine Art – Abstract, WORSHIP, USA
2025.07 IPA 2025 Official Selection, Fine Art – Other, The Independence Movement: Layered Gazes, USA
2025.07 Monovisions Photography Awards – Honorable Mention, Conceptual Category, The Independence Movement: Layered Gazes, UK
2025.07 PX3 Fine Art Photographer of the Year (Gold), The Independence Movement: Layered Gazes, France
Publications
2016.11 Photoshop Lightroom Photo Correction Lecture, Golden Owl Publishing, 602 pages, ISBN 9788960304727
2018.07 Kwon Hak-bong’s Professional Photography and Lighting Lecture, Volumes 1 and 2, Golden Owl Publishing, ISBN 9788960305069, 9788960305076
2019.04 The Story of Rohingya Refugees, Photo Report by Hakbong Kwon, Golden Owl Publishing, ISBN 9788960305236
2023.04 PHOTOBOOK HAKBONG KWON, Golden Owl Publishing, ISBN 9788960306141
2024.05 Hakbong Kwon’s Photoshop Lightroom Classic Photo Editing Lecture, Golden Owl Publishing, ISBN 9788960306295
2024.12 / SEA: Day and Night / Golden Owl Publishing / 264 pages / ISBN 9788960306424
Solo Exhibitions
2014.05 Nomad People, Solo Exhibition, Café Madagascar (Dream Factory + Hankyoreh Newspaper Contest), Seoul, Korea
2015.03 What it Means to Be a College Student in Korea, Art Space Knot, Ankuk, Seoul
2016.11 People on the Mountain, Solo Exhibition, Suwon International Photo Festival, Suwon Art Center
2016.12 People on the Mountain, Invitational Exhibition, Yeomi Gallery
2017.11 Nangpa, Looking Back at the Kingdom, Solo Exhibition, Suwon International Photo Festival, Suwon Bitgnoeul Gallery
2017.11 Colors of Thailand, Invitational Exhibition, Gallery Cho Wai, Bangkok, Thailand
2019.04 Story of Rohingya Refugees, Solo Exhibition, Gallery Gyeongbuk, Insa-dong, Seoul
2020.12 Denial Scenery, Solo Exhibition, Chiang Mai University Art Center, Chiang Mai, Thailand
2022.09 The Notion of Being in Present Time and Place, Degree Exhibition, Rungpum Art Space, Chiang Mai, Thailand
2023.04 About Human Nature, Solo Exhibition, Gallery Gyeongbuk, Insa-dong, Seoul
2024.12 SEA: Day and Night, Solo Exhibition, Gallery Gyeongbuk, Maru Art Center Annex Hall 5, Seoul, Korea
2025.08 The Independence Movement: Layered Gazes, Solo Exhibition, Gangdong Arts Center Art Gallery Grim, Seoul, Korea
Group Exhibitions
2018.04 Cost of Life in Jharia, Three-person Exhibition, Rumpueng Community Art Space, Chiang Mai, Thailand
2019.12 PhapthaySajin, Participant & Director, THA-KOR Photo Exchange Exhibition, Korean Cultural Center, Bangkok, Thailand
2023.11 PhapthaySajin, Participant & Director, THA-KOR Photo Exchange Exhibition, Korean Cultural Center, Bangkok, Thailand
2025.08 DE-CONSTRUCTED, Group Exhibition by PEP & B-Part Exhibition, B-Part Exhibition, Berlin, Germany