Hannah Yoon

Photographer
   
Hyphenated
Location: Philadelphia
Nationality: Canadian
Biography: Currently, a freelance photographer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My background is in photojournalism and documentary photography. I am a graduate of the photojournalism program at Loyalist College. In 2014 I was the recipient of the Tom... MORE
Private Story
Hyphenated
Copyright Hannah Yoon 2024
Updated Feb 2020
Topics Korean American
From NPR: As part of an introspective look at her life as a Korean-Canadian, photographer Hannah Yoon takes portraits of other Koreans who challenge the hyphen that so often defines them."Since I grew up in a small city with 90 percent of the population being white, I found myself wanting to blend in," Yoon says. "Naturally, I ended up being the token Asian in a lot of my social groups and I enjoyed the attention. I didn't realize I was being tokenized and was just happy to be acknowledged."In her community, Yoon was introduced as the "little Asian friend," with her skin, eyes and jet-black hair serving as perpetual reminders of who she was. "No matter how much I tried to blend in, I realized I wouldn't," the photographer says.While sharing her experience, Yoon introduces the South Korean concept of Han and how it fits into her life and work. "It translates to a collective sorrow, angst and pain. Han simultaneously expresses a longing for an end to silent suffering and a sense of hope and humble perseverance. In many ways, Han captures the spirit of postwar South Korea and its people, including those who grew up outside the country."
 
     Pushing Against The Boundaries Of Koreanness
         Photographer Hannah Yoon takes portraits of Korean-Americans and Korean-Canadians who challenge the hyphen that so often defines them.
       
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