"Chaos, Frustration, Courage, Hope" ... Exhibition of 120 On-site Photos of COVID-19 Worldwide

Seoul City to Hold 'Global Photojournalism Exhibition' Until December 20
View Reportage Photos by Leading Global Photojournalists Online
Also Open Until the 30th on Seoul Library Exterior Wall and Sangam Digital Media Street

Brazil's S?o Paulo, struck by the unprecedented disaster of COVID-19. Maria, who had to part ways with her 82-year-old father, reunited with him after 100 days. This was made possible through a specially designed Hug Curtain for COVID-19 prevention. Although her father looked a bit thinner, he was still warm. The tender moment between father and daughter, which even COVID-19 could not stop, was captured in a single photograph by Brazilian photojournalist Sebasti?o, affiliated with the Spanish state news agency EFE's S?o Paulo bureau.

[Asia Economy Jo In-kyung Reporter] An on- and offline exhibition showcasing 120 global press photos capturing decisive moments of humanity's chaos, frustration, courage, and hope amid the COVID-19 pandemic will be held in one place.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 18th that it will host the "2020 Seoul Global Photojournalism Exhibition: 2020 Seoul, Embracing Hope Again," organized by the global photo news agency PentaPress, from the 20th of this month until December 20th.

The main exhibition will feature 70 storytelling-style press photos themed around the four topics of the COVID-19 pandemic: "Chaos," "Frustration," "Courage," and "Hope." It conveys a message of courage and hope to overcome the COVID-19 crisis through scenes from countries worldwide mixed with chaos and pain, as well as images of urban residents bravely continuing their lives while fighting against COVID-19.

The special exhibition will showcase COVID-19 field reportage photos from six cities, including Seoul, New York, London, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, and Johannesburg. It includes major cities from Brazil and South Africa, which have been severely affected by COVID-19, alongside representative cities from different global regions.

Photographic works by leading photojournalists representing each city, such as Lee Jang-wook of The New York Times, Ed Jones, AFP’s Korea correspondent, and Ivo Gonzalez, the 2016 Rio Olympics photo chief, will also be extensively exhibited.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will make all exhibition photos available on the official website and Korean and English Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube channels so that more citizens can easily view them on PCs or smartphones while practicing social distancing. In particular, a unique experience will be offered through a "360-degree virtual gallery" using VR technology, allowing visitors to enjoy realistic views of major Seoul landmarks such as Seoul Library, Cheonggyecheon Stream, and Deoksugung Stone Wall Road as the gallery space.

Photos expected to resonate strongly with citizens will also be displayed offline from October 20th to 31st. Twenty-five works installed along the first-floor windows on the outer wall of Seoul Library can be viewed while walking around the library, and 20 works will be exhibited on large 2-meter-high display stands on Sangam Digital Media Street (the sidewalk between Sangam MBC and Seoul Business Agency).

The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to actively promote the exhibition by holding citizen participation events with various prizes through the exhibition’s official social media channels and aims to widely publicize Seoul’s global brand image as a city successfully managing COVID-19 prevention worldwide.

Park Jin-young, Director of Citizen Communication Planning at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, said, "Through this photo exhibition, we hope that not only Seoul citizens but people worldwide can share hope to alleviate social anxiety and stress and overcome these difficult times together."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.