Fujifilm Korea Announces Winners of '1st Seed Collection'

Fujifilm Electronic Imaging Korea announced on the 29th that it has launched the 'Seed Collection' to plant new possibilities in the Korean photography scene and announced the winners. 
The 'Seed Collection' is a project designed to purchase and collect the early works of university students majoring in photography and aspiring artists directly by Fujifilm Korea and share their growth process with society. It contains Fujifilm Korea's aspiration to enrich the Korean photography scene by 'seeing' the works of emerging artists with infinite potential like a 'seed'.
The Seed Collection, which was introduced for the first time this year, is scheduled to be held annually in the future, with the aim of spreading the culture of photography collection in Korea and establishing a solid foundation for talented artists to grow.
In the 1st Seed Collection, portfolios of a total of 15 students recommended by 15 universities nationwide with photography departments were selected in the first round. The selected students are △Kim Dong-ha △Kim Ye-rim △Kim Ye-hyun △Kim Ji-hyun △Park Sang-min △Seong Gyeong-chan △An Ye-jin △Yoo Yeo-jin △Lim Hyun-a △Jang Joo-hee △Jeong Gyeong-u △Jeong Ui-jin △Chu Yun-hyeok △Pan Yeong-seok △Han Eun-joo, among which the best portfolio went to Kim Ye-hyun (Seoul Institute of the Arts), and the excellent portfolios went to Park Sang-min (Keimyung University) and Jang Joo-hee (Kaywon University of Art and Design).
In particular, the award-winning works of students selected for the best and excellent portfolios were evaluated for their distinct individuality in terms of themes, perspectives, and ways of handling photography. Kim Ye-hyun, the winner of the best portfolio, stood out for his deep exploration process to maximize the contradictions of the era's environment based on personal experiences through the visual language of art photography. Park Sang-min, who won the excellent award, demonstrated impressive compositional skills by delicately capturing the surrounding environment and visually unraveling it, organically connecting individual images. Jang Joo-hee's work, which also received the excellent award, drew attention for its attempt to add dimensionality by deeply delving into the subject and experimenting with the form of visual language from various angles.
The award ceremony was held on the 24th. At this event, Fujifilm Korea awarded Kim Ye-hyun, the best winner, with a Fujifilm camera and lens and a scholarship of 1 million won, and presented Fujifilm camera packages to Park Sang-min and Jang Joo-hee, the excellent award winners.
The judging was conducted by an external judging panel, including Kim Seon-young, curator (chairman), Seong Nam-hoon, artist (member), and Song Su-jeong, curator (member), who comprehensively evaluated the composition and completeness of the works, awareness of contemporary issues, and artistic expression.
The representative works and collection pieces of the 15 participating students selected through this 1st Seed Collection were first unveiled at the Jeonju International Photography Festival and will be exhibited at the Ryugaheon Gallery, focusing on photography, until the 1st of next month. In addition, they will be invited to the 'Photo Festa 2025', a photography festival for Fujifilm users in August, where they will have the opportunity to present their artistic perspectives and results and meet the public. Furthermore, Fujifilm Korea plans to provide multifaceted support, such as sponsoring the printing, framing, and catalog production of the works, so that students can actively participate in exhibition activities.
Fujifilm Korea President Lim Hoon said, "The Seed Collection has significant meaning as a platform to support the growth of young artists," adding, "Starting this year, we will continue to support the growth of young artists through the ongoing operation of the Seed Collection and contribute to expanding interest and opportunities in photography."

solidkjy@fnnews.com Ku Ja-yun Reporter