Born in Seoul, South Korea with a background as a theater designer, photography has always been a passion for New York Film Academy Photography alumna, Eunnym Cho. Cho used her elaborate sets as backdrops for what were the beginnings of her exploration into photography as an art.
“I would always take shots of the theater sets and costumes I designed for my portfolio,” said Cho. “At one point I figured having a deeper knowledge of photography would be helpful to get the shots I wanted, so I decided to take the One Year Photography Conservatory at the New York Film Academy. I started the program just to learn more on the technical side, but the course was a lot more than just that. I discovered the huge field over the program and took it serious from there.”
Since graduating from NYFA, Cho’s work has been recognized by several galleries, including:
- The Art at the Center National Juried Exhibition 2017, Tomahawk Ridge Community Center, KS, 2017
- 45th International Art Show, Brownsville Museum of Fine Art, TX, 2017
- City Lights Spring 2017 Juried Exhibition, City Lights Art Gallery, NV, 2017
- New York International Photography Contest, Gateway Art Center NYC, NY, 2017
- 40th National Photography Exhibition, Larson Gallery, WA, 2017
- Next Up, Next Gallery, CO, 2017
- Conroe Art League 2017 Invitational Show, TX, 2017
- LA Artcore Annual Photographic Competition, CA, 2017
- 38th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Monmouth Museum, NJ, 2017
- Dreams, The Darkroom Gallery, Essex Jct. VT, 2016
- Primary Colors, Final list, Honorable Mention, New York Center for Photographic Art, NY, 2106
“Untitled Gaze” is her first ongoing project and “Looking into the Lives” is the one that followed. “Looking into the Lives” is a series of street shots. The project involves two sub-projects: Part I was taken in the Dominican Republic and part II was taken in New Orleans, LA.
“One of the most memorable parts of the NYFA Photography program was the school trip to Dominican Republic,” said Cho. “It was the most enjoyable way to learn about the topic and, as it turns out, was where one of my projects, ‘Looking into the Lives,’ began.”
Her other ongoing project, “Untitled Gaze” is a series of images taken in various bars in Manhattan. “At first I was searching for unique, interesting elements of bars, but then I became more aware of the patrons, especially those who were alone,” added Cho. “So I set out to photograph, using the point of view of these individuals. Without looking at their phones, how did they fill the void? What would their eye focus on? In their inebriated state, what do they see? Focusing on singular item or area, I began to create abstractions of what they might see. Drawing inspiration from Uta Barth and Saul Leiter, I looked for things that might catch their eyes as they looked around from their barstool.”
Cho hopes having her work at galleries across the country will provide exposure to her work, but she would love to have an exhibition in her current hometown of New York City.
As Cho puts it, “There is no better place in the world in terms of the amount of galleries and museums that focus on photography.”